Quite The Opposite
by MusicChannySkyscraper
Summary: A look at the world of Sonny with a Chance, had Chad and Sonny's roles been totally reversed... with a little twist. Take a peek inside to see this glimpse of their lives, including the love and friendship, the hatred and rivalry, and their journey from greatest enemies, to best friends, to maybe a little more... Sonny/Chad multichap. Rated T for language instances.
1. Chad's Big Break

**Hey, y'all! Yeah... new story from me. I really should learn not to write too many stories at one point, but I promised my friend I'd put this up for her. louisa12, I sure am spoiling you! :P**

**Alrighty! This story's one of those Parallel Universe stories, coz I love reading them, so I thought I'd write my own for SWAC. Let's get reading! WHOOT!**

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><p><em>What if…<em>

_What if things had been different? _

_What if Chad Dylan Cooper had been the ordinary boy from Wisconsin? What if he'd won the opportunity of a lifetime – to star on his favourite TV show, So Random? _

_And what if Sonny Munroe had grown up in Hollywood? What if she was Hollywood's bad girl, the famous, bigheaded diva? What if she was the star of the number one tween drama show?_

_And then what if the two kids' shows had a rivalry? What if they were sworn enemies, even though they wished for the contrary?_

_Compared to reality, things would've been quite the opposite…_

_Or would they?_

Chad's POV

"_Chad? Chad, sweetie?"_

I groan, rubbing my eyes and waking up to my Mom shaking me softly.

"Huh?" I moan, my voice kind of groggy.

"Chad, wake up." Mom smiles at me, "We're here. The studio."

It's as if those last two words set me off. I jump up in my car seat – I probably would've fallen out of it if not for the seat belt – suddenly awake and alert. I gaze out the window, trying to get my first view of Hollywood life. And then, I see it.

Right outside the window, tall and strong, stands Condor Studios, the place where all my dreams were about to come true. And right on the wall of the studio, a giant poster is hung. I beam as I realize it's the poster for the show I'm going to star on – So Random!

So Random has been my favourite show right from the beginning. I've laughed myself silly every Friday watching the show, I've followed all the cast members on Flitter, I've had a crush on Tawni Hart for a reasonable number of years… and soon, I will be right there, with Tawni, with them all, performing on their stage!

You can probably tell, I'm almost exploding with excitement!

I walk through the door of Stage 3, aka, So Random, trying hard to not grab my mother's hand in fear. I'm a TV star now – I don't need to hold my Mom's hand. And I certainly don't want anyone here to notice that I am kind of a… cringe… Momma's boy. Yeah… that confession is gonna have to wait till my new cast accepts me as a member, maybe even a friend.

Mom has quite the contrary approach. She grabs my hand and squeals and grins, making me feel even more anxious.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" She squeals, sounding more like my teenage sister than my early-forties mom. "You must be so ecstatic, sweetie!"

I roll my eyes a little – the last thing I want is my mother calling me '_sweetie' _in front of a bunch of cool Hollywood kids. That'll be like when you first build up the courage to sit with the popular kids at lunch in high school, only to have your klutz-of-a-best-friend show up and spill mac and cheese all over you by accident. Yep… it's happened to me before. It's not pretty, trust me.

"I am, Mom." I smile, trying to keep my cool as I watch random people walk past, some I recognize as extras from the show, some I don't. I recoil in horror as my Mom begins to lick her index finger, before leaning closer to wipe something off of my face.

"Mom!" I whisper-yell, "Not in front of the cool Hollywood people!"

I pray silently that Mom will take this as a hint to shut up, but instead, she smiles, a tear showing up in her eye. "That reminds me of when you asked me not to embarrass you during your first sleepover! You were seven years old… so adorable!"

I groan, "Mom!"

She laughs, even though a little hint of sadness shows in her eyes, "I'm sorry!" She says, putting her hands up in defeat, "It's just, you know, it's not everyday that a mother has to hand her brilliant son over to show business. I'm just so… proud! And worried…"

I laugh. As much as I love my mother, she does have a tendency to love me back _too_ much. So much so, it actually gets protective. A little too protective at times. "Mom, we talked about this," I say calmly, strutting a little to make myself look more confident, even though I'm freaking out inside. "Show business won't change me."

Mom is smiling at me, before I lean up against the nearest wall and her eyes drift off of me before opening wide. "You have a big head." She comments.

I blink, "What?"

"You have a _really _big head!"

I shake my head. "I don't not! I'm the exact same guy I was back home in Wisconsin!"

Mom sighs, before motioning a large head and saying, "With a much bigger head!"

I huff, shaking my head more vigorously this time, "My head's the exact same size! I don't get what the heck you're talking about!"

"Behind you." Mom whispers and I'm confused until I turn around and notice the large door for the So Random stage with all the stars' faces, where, indeed, my head is much larger. Like, bigger than my real body.

"Whoa…" Is all I can muster up. "I do have a big head…" I then turn back to my Mom with a smirk and add, "Awesome."

She rolls her eyes a little, smiling, as a man comes up to greet me, and I recognize him straight away.

"Chad, it's great to meet you!" He grins, shaking my hand, and I beam.

"Mr Pike!" Yep, Mr Pike. The producer of So Random – and the man who made all my dreams come true. He smiles at me, pulling away from the handshake and nodding approvingly.

"Please, call me Marshall." He tells me, and I nod, before he turns to see my mother. "Dianne?" He asks, and she nods, taking her turn to shake Marshall's hand, "We are very glad to have Chad join our cast. And I can assure you, he will be very safe here. I'm sure he'll fit right in."

I smile at the compliments, as my Mom half smiles, half glares. "Good." She says sternly, "Because do you know what we do to people in Wisconsin who make promises they can't keep?"

I glare up at the ceiling in embarrassment. _Here we go again…_

Marshall pauses to think, before saying, "You… make them into cheese?"

Mom nods, putting an arm around my back protectively. Marshall bursts out laughing.

"I see where Chad gets his sense of humour."

I gulp, deciding to butt in. "Actually, I get it from my Dad…" I say, cringing, "She's not kidding." I then decide to use this as a way to get my mom out of here before she freaks out my boss anymore. "But…" I say, putting my arm around her back, "…she is hungry after all that travelling, right mother dear?"

"Okay, okay," Mom smiles, holding her hands up in defeat, "I get it – someone wants their Mom to leave." I nod half-heartedly, before Mom takes my hands in hers and I gaze at the ceiling, hoping no-one will see this… "Now, I know I've said this a hundred times…"

"Don't talk to strangers." I say, rolling my eyes a little.

"No." Mom says, before blinking, "But… yes."

I tilt my head a little, confused. Oh, she's talking about that other thing… "Don't swim after eating?"

Mom sighs, frustrated, "No, but yes!"

Ugh! What else could it be? "Don't skateboard with a soccer ball in your mouth." Yeah… you only do that once…

Mom laughs, putting her hands to my face and squeezing my cheeks, "I am trying to tell you how proud I am of you!" She grins, "I just… couldn't… be… prouder!" She rubs my face with each word, and I roll my eyes once again.

"Mom… go." I say, winking at her, and she laughs, hugging me before leaving the studio. I then turn back to Marshall who smiles at me, looking a little sheepish after what Mom said. He shakes it off and instead tells me to follow him.

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><p>"Well, here we are." He smiles as we walk into a large room, and I grin when I notice the sarcophagus, the photo booth, the gnome, along with various other things.<p>

"The Prop House!" I say, "I've heard about this place… it's so cool!"

I collapse onto the faded green couch in the middle of the room, leaning back in comfort. Ah… this is the life!

Marshall smiles at me, "Well, I have to go take care of some details for next week's show, but if you need me, just ask someone for directions to my room and knock. I'll be happy to help you."

"Thanks, Sir." I say as he walks off, and I decide to have a look around. I get up, walking around the room, admiring the props I recognize from sketches. The pink hat from the Cowgirl sketch, the photo booth from the Mall sketch, the gnome from the Gnome sketch, and then the sarcophagus from the Mummy sketch. Hmm… no-one will mind if I nose about in there. I remember when Zora was in there, in the sketch. My friends and I used to say that that was probably where she slept in normal life, not just in the sketch. Ha, ridiculous, right?

"Agh!" I yell, when I notice someone's in there, eyes closed, arms crossed.

"Agh!" She screams in return, exhaling vigorously, "Don't you knock?"

"Sorry…" I gulp, recognising the girl as my heart rate slows down, "I didn't realize you'd be in here… but you're Zora, right?" She nods. "Cool! I'm Chad, I'm new."

She smirks, "Obviously. Otherwise, you would've known to knock. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

She closes the door of the sarcophagus, and I blink. Well… she's something special…

"How come you get to be the chicken anyways?" I hear a voice say, a familiar voice at that. I turn around to see two guys walk in, one dressed as a chicken, one as an egg. Nico and Grady… whoa. I've always wanted to hang with these guys!

"Hey!" I grin, trying to look cool, just to make a good impression. The two turn to see me and smile a little.

"Hey, dude." Nico says, walking closer, "Uh, where's your visitor's pass?"

"Oh," I say, "I don't need one. I'm not a visitor."

"Wait a sec…" Grady says, "You're that funny guy off the internet, aren't ya?"

"That's me!" I laugh, hoping they actually _do _mean me. I then offer them a hand to shake and they both shake it in turns. "Chad Dylan Cooper."

"Cool, nice to meet you." Nico says, "I'm Nico, and this is Grady. You're our new cast member, right?"

"Right. I smile, especially since, yes, my concerns have been put to rest and they were calling me _that funny guy off the internet_. Hey, it seems these two could be pretty good friends. We start to talk – about So Random, our lives, my time in Hollywood so far. And then, I decide to ask about something else…

"So, uh, what do you guys think of Tawni Hart?"

I know… kinda direct and to-the-point. But it's something I have to ask. Didn't I mention I have a celebrity crush on her? Okay, so I also have another crush on another famous girl… _Sonny Munroe_. But the girl's an international megastar… I don't think I'll ever get the chance to meet her. So I guess Tawni Hart's an admirable second.

"Tawni?" Nico asks, looking like he's suddenly uncomfortable, and I frown. Hmm…

"Hey, everyone!" A female voice says from behind me, and I turn to see the girl herself, Tawni Hart, holding a Tween Weekly magazine and grinning. Oh… my… gosh… "Guess who's on the cover of Tween Weekly… again!"

Nico rolls his eyes, taking the mag from her. "Yeah, we're _all_ on the cover, Tawn."

Tawni scans the cover, raising her eyebrow, confused. "Really?" She asks, "Coz all I see is me!"

I grin, trying to take this as an opportunity. "Hey Tawni!" I say, trying to be cool… but it kinda fails as my voice squeaks a little from excitement. The girl stares at me weirdly, and I gulp. "I mean… sup?"

Tawni blinks, before her glance avoids me and drifts to Nico and Grady. "Who's this guy?" She asks.

"Oh, I'm Chad." I say, offering a hand for her to shake. "Chad Dylan Cooper."

"Ohh…" She says, flicking her hair and shooting me a megawatt smile. "Nice to meet you… I'm Tawni, but, of course, you knew that."

I nod as she smirks, probably at the fact that I'm sure I'm starting to sweat a little at the brow from embarrassment. Yeah… my cool-guy act has failed. Luckily for me, before I get even more embarrassed, Marshall walks back in.

"Ah, I see you've met everyone." He says as Zora steps out of her sarcophagus. I nod, smiling.

"Yeah, and I just wanted to say, it's gonna be awesome working with you guys."

Marshall nods contently, before asking if anyone would want to give me a tour of the studio. Tawni offers, boredly, whilst looking at her nails, and I smile. Yes! Some potential time alone with her! I follow her out of the room, and the tour (and my attempt to impress her) begins.

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><p>After 20 minutes, I'm tired, weary, and bored of my 'potential time alone with her'. At first, I was trying, really hard, to get Tawni to notice me as a possible ideal for a boyfriend.<p>

I've changed my mind. Friends is enough with this girl – she's way too self obsessed that she hasn't even noticed me. Even though she's _extremely_ hot. Hmm, that must be why she's such a bighead. Well, surely there can't be a girl more bigheaded than this one… **(A/N: Don't be too sure, Chaddy ;))**

"Ooh, and this is a camera, which _loves_ me!" Tawni informs me as we approach the stage. She runs straight to the camera, making kissy faces before running off. I watch her go, winking seductively at the camera and smirking, and then I follow my tour guide once again.

"And finally…" Tawni says, swinging a door which has a gold star on it wide open, beaming, "…this is my dressing room, where I do my make-up, my costume changes, my pre-show chillaxing."

"Cool." I say as she walks to what I presume to be the changing place when she draws the curtain. "So, where's my dressing room?"

"Dunno." Tawni says from behind the curtain, "Why dontcha go find it?"

I shrug, "I don't know where it would be."

She then un-draws the curtains, wearing a pink tracksuit rather than her previous gold sparkly jacket and denim shorts.

"Wow," I smirk, "You're a fast changer."

"And you're a slow leaver!" She says with a false quirk to her voice. I laugh as she heads to the other side of the room, where gym equipment is sat.

"You think I'm slow, you should've seen my Mom this morning!" I say, "I pretty much had to kick her out the door!"

There's suddenly a knock on the door and we turn to see Marshall.

"Tawni?" He says, "We have a bit of a problem."

"Which is?" She asks.

"Well, Chad's dressing room isn't yet ready for him, so you'll need to… share a dressing room for just a few days."

"WHAT?" She yells, and I groan. Great… a few days sharing a room with Tawni? It's pretty clear this is gonna be awkward, especially since she talks to herself in the mirror (she did it earlier on our 'tour'… it was weird). And the fact that I'm a guy and she's a girl? That's gonna add to the awkwardness factor even more.

"Is there no-one else I can share with, Sir?" I ask, just to save Tawni the trouble.

"Afraid not." Marshall says, "Nico and Grady have no room, and Zora uses the vents. I don't think she'd like someone else being up there with her."

"No, she wouldn't." A voice comes from the vents, and we all jump back to see Zora herself. Whoa… that girl is weird…

"We'll make some arrangements," Marshall says, trying to be assuring, "We'll get a curtain put up so you two can have some privacy, things like that. Chad'll have his own dressing room before you know it!"

Sensing the tension, Marshall leaves with a sheepish smile on his face, and Tawni growls, sitting on her armchair with her arms crossed.

"It's okay!" I assure her, "We can make this work, like Marshall said. Don't worry about it – I'll just stay on this side and mind my own little business. That okay?"

Tawni scowls at me, and I realize that, already, someone in Hollywood hates me. Wow… that was quick.

"Let's just get one thing straight…" She says firmly, pointing a finger my way, "If you think you can try anything with me, just coz we're sharing a room, I will make sure you never work in this town again, got it?"

"I… I wouldn't try anything, I swear!" I protest, but she laughs.

"Please! You haven't been able to take your eyes off me since you saw me!"

Ugh… I could so slap her right now. But, being a gentleman, I resist. "Not true." I say instead.

"I'll admit, Chad, you're funny." She says sharply, "But if you try anything – if you steal my spotlight, if you try to flirt with me… you will be dead in this town before you've even started! Do we understand each other?"

I gulp, "Uh… sure…"

"Okay then!" She says, suddenly perky, "Let's go rehearse!"

She then gets up, skipping out of the room, and I wince, before jumping at a young voice from the vents.

"Dude, you're in for it."

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><p><strong>Heehee, Chawni chapter... sorry about that *cringes*. Yeah, and sorry that there was no Sonny in there, but she doesn't come till next chapter, so don't you worry your pretty little heads about it. <strong>

**Who's in-love with goody-goody Chad right now? I am! :P**

**Hey, I know an awesome game! It's called 'Review'! All you gotta do is press that little button below this and then type in some feedback (preferably nice feedback ;)). So, whatcha waiting for? Review please! :D**


	2. Meeting Sonny Munroe

**Hey, y'all! I am so glad with the reception this story got... 16 reviews? That's awesome! **

**Now, people were asking in their reviews if I will just do a rewrite of each episode of SWAC. My answer is that I will do rewrites of SOME episodes, because they may be fundamental for the story or it's just one I'd love to do (like this chapter). But I do have ideas for my own chapters that won't be based on episodes from the show, so really it'll be mixed. Hope that's okay with you guys!**

**Shoutouts to TheDarkLordNwitchpire, mrpuppy, LOLChanny819 and my Dad for help on the pranks in this chapter and Chad's plan, coz for me, a piece picnic was too girly for Chad to organise. **

**Also, to Starry-End, who is new to FF, and has awesome stories! PM her or read her stories, coz she's great! :D There's your surprise ;)**

**Enjoy...**

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><p><span>Chad's POV<span>

It's been 5 days since my first day, and things are going pretty well. Okay, so I'm still sharing that dressing room with Tawni (and yes, it is awkward), but adjustments were made so that it was slightly less… uncomfortable. The curtain was put up, splitting the room in half, so whenever one of us needs to be alone (cough, Tawni, cough) we can draw it. Before the curtain was put up, Tawni had found masking tape in Marshall's office, ripped off a big bit and stuck it across the room, splitting the room in two.

"Don't cross this line." She had warned me, and I just nodded politely, rolling my eyes behind her back.

My second day was the show, which was on Friday, so I was only in two sketches. They were pretty cool though – the guys wrote them for me. We get weekends off, but I still hung out with Zora, Nico and Grady in the Prop House, writing sketches, playing video games, and the most embarrassing part of all – they interrogated me. About everything. And that meant I had to tell them everything.

I told them about my friends, my ex-girlfriend (we broke up a little while ago, but ever since she found out I was going to be on So Random, she suddenly became my friend again. Weird, huh?), my family and how close we are (that bit was embarrassing), and all sorts of other stuff. They also asked me how hard it was sharing a dressing room with Tawni Hart, to which I replied;

"Scary."

It's Monday now though, and we're back to work. And that's something I'm glad of, because since we just had rehearsal, I was able to show them all my ideas. One of them included a fast food restaurant which was a little too fast… confused? You'll have to wait till next Friday. Cue smirk.

Now, I'm stood on my side of the dressing room, the curtain not drawn because Tawni isn't in here. I smirk at my reflection, trying to see myself considering I'm not myself right now – I'm wearing a costume for a new character Nico, Grady and I have been working on. I told the group during interrogation the other day of one day when I was a kid and we had this really bad plumber come in. So, we messed around, making sketches and scripts as I tried to remember every detail of the phoney plumber… and we got this guy.

Earlier this morning, after rehearsals, I headed to the costume room, taking with me a picture of the plumber that Nico drew from my description, and I rooted around in the room for the perfect outfit. When I found it, I headed straight back to the dressing room, trying it on and trying out a few lines.

Right now, I'm trying to come up with his accent. I try out all sorts of accents I can think of, but none sound exactly right for the character. So I give up, and instead admire the outfit I picked out for him. I stroke the black stick-on bread, smirking and holding in giggle fits because it's making me itch. I trace my fingers around the edges of the square-lensed glasses, laughing with shock when my fingers touch the caterpillar-like matching stick-on eye-brows I found. I then look down to my body, where I put on faded-blue overalls that had a nametag that read 'Burt' on it, and a fat suit underneath to make the belly (and only the belly) bigger. And I must say, for my first official character, he looks awesome!

I then hear the door creek behind me, and turn to see Tawni stood there, wearing her cheerleader outfit from the fast food sketch we'd rehearsed, and she raises her eyebrows in disgust when she sees me, her nose lifting a notch as well.

"Hey," I smile, hoping to get Tawni's opinion on the character, "Does this fat suit make me look fat?"

Tawni rolls her eyes, putting on a false smile and saying, "You're in a fat suit?"

I frown at her, watching as she draws the curtain to her clothing area. "Haha, very funny." I say sarcastically. "You know, I was gonna tell you how great you were in that rehearsal… but now, I don't think I will."

"You just did!" She yells from behind the curtain, and I scowl.

"Darn my niceness." I mutter under my breath.

"Aw, don't blame yourself!" Tawni says, undrawing the curtain. She is now wearing a pink, abnormally fluffy robe, while she twirls a length of hair around her finger, "It's hard not to compliment me. Especially if you've had a crush on me for a few years… which, again, is not hard to believe."

I groan, thinking of a comeback. I randomly decide to try out a Texan accent for Burt and say, "I'm sorry, darlin', I couldn't hear you over that robe you got there."

Tawni's smirk falls at that comment, and she scowls at me, shaking her head. I can't help but laugh.

"Sorry," I say, "I really like playing this character!"

Her smirk suddenly comes back to life, as she comments, "You're playing a character?"

I sigh. I honestly don't know what I saw in her five days ago… now, she's just annoying. "Once again – haha." I say, suddenly feeling the urge to get out of there as soon as possible. "If anyone needs me, I'm gonna be down in the cafeteria getting some frozen yogurt."

I head for the door, but not before Tawni stops me. "Wait! I _need_ you to get me yogurt. Something non-dairy and pink!"

I sigh. There's no hope with this girl. "You know, just coz I'm the new guy doesn't mean I'm here to serve you."

"We'll see!" She chirps, sitting in her vanity chair and wafting a mascara wand around, before yelling, "Hey, everybody! New guy's making a fro-yo run!"

And that's how I got here – in the cafeteria, filling fro-yo cups with everyone's orders, wondering how I got here, when I was at my highest a mere 3 days ago. Oh well, at least I'm still living the dream, and not even my new cast-mates treating me like a waiter can stop that. Nothing can stop that now.

"Um, excuse me, Sir?" A female voice says from behind me, attitude shining, "When you're done with whatever you're doing there, you're needed in Stage 2."

"Huh?" I say, confused.

The voice pauses, before saying, "Stage 2. There's been a bit of a leaking in the pipes… we called your company ages ago to fix it. We can't get back to filming until it's done and if I can't start working my magic again soon, I will sue your company."

It's at this moment when I remember I'm still wearing the 'Burt' costume, and try to ignore this woman's attitude. She's probably just a little angry. "Oh, I'm not a plumber."

"Oh, too bad." The voice says, suddenly calming a little as I put the last fro-yo on the tray and turn to head out. But when I turn around, I suddenly go numb and almost drop the fro-yo at who I see I was just talking to – the girl that comes out on top of even Tawni Hart. The girl that pretty much every guy in my school finds _hot_. The girl who I didn't even think I'd be able to meet, even here. But, obviously, her show does film here, and I'm suddenly filled with butterflies with excitement. Who is this girl, you ask? Well, none other than the infamous beauty, Sonny Munroe.

"Oh… my… gosh…" I can just about manage to blurt out as Sonny Munroe lifts her head to look at me, tilting it but smiling a little when she sees me, "I know you! You're… You're…" At this, Sonny smirks, walking over to the poster that is hung by the yogurt machine – a picture of her posing dramatically underneath the name of her show – Melody Falls.

"Her?" She asks, and I nod. She mimics the dramatic pose on the poster, before smiling again, "Sonny Munroe."

"Wow…" I mutter, "You are… amazing."

Sonny grins at my comment, flicking her hair back confidently, "I've been told!" She says, "And you must be…" She gazes down at the nametag on my outfit, before looking back at me, still smiling that white-teethed smile that she's so famous for, "…Burt?"

"Yes!" I say happily, before realizing what I'd just agreed to, "Oh, no, no, no. Burt's just a character for my sketch. And, uh, this belongs to Burt too!" I shake the fat suit, chuckling, before offering her a hand to shake, "Hi, I'm Chad. Chad Dylan Cooper."

"Aw!" She says, ignoring the hand and instead going to write something on the clipboard in her hand, "That's a nice name."

"Aw, thanks!" I smile, "You know, when I was younger it was Chad Dylan Goldfarb, and I really didn't like it, but then my Mom got remarried and it changed to Chad Dylan Cooper, which I kinda preferred – it's kinda cool, you know, Chad Dylan Cooper, _CDC_…"

"There you go." Sonny suddenly interrupts me, and I realize I've been babbling. She hands me a piece of paper, before winking and walking off. "See you later, Chad."

"…Kay!" I smile, before looking down to the paper. It's a signed picture of her. I read the message aloud with a goofy smile and a starstruck voice, "_Dear Chad. Thanks for the yogurt. Sonny Munroe_." I blink, watching the girl go. I yell back to her, "Hey, I didn't give you any…" It's at this moment when my gaze drifts from Sonny, who's just left with the rest of her cast, to where the fro-yo is sat. Actually, where the fro-yo _was _sat.

I gasp, "Sonny Munroe just stole my yogurt!" I groan to myself, before my face lights up, and I turn to the guy next to me. "Oh my God, Sonny Munroe just stole my yogurt!" He smirks, high-fiving me before turning back to the fro-yo machine. Ha, Sonny Munroe's not gonna steal _his _yogurt, now, is she? I should go tell the others – they'd be so jealous!

* * *

><p>"Sorry I'm late…" I say apologetically, as I enter the Prop House, with the second fro-yo tray in my hands. The others come over to take their orders, groaning when they notice it isn't exactly right.<p>

"Sorry…" I say, "They ran out of strawberry and the burrito machine broke. And you can't get batteries in a cafeteria."

Tawni frowns, "Then how do you explain the sprinkles on mine?"

"Oh…" I say, smiling a little in victory, "Those aren't sprinkles. My apologies again… I dropped it in the parking lot."

Tawni pulls a disgusted face, her finger, which is covered in gravel-fresh fro-yo, freezing just by her mouth where she has indeed just had a lick. Haha, I'm not one for revenge but that's what you get for messing with Chad Dylan Cooper!

"My bad…" I say, "But you'll totally forgive me after I tell you who I just met." The others pause, waiting for my announcement, and I fish the signed photo out of my pocket and grin, "Sonny Munroe!"

They all gasp dramatically, and I smile.

"I know – Sonny Munroe!"

They gasp once again, and when I look up and noticed the furious looks on their faces, I realize maybe they're not all so crazy about Sonny Munroe.

"Chad!" Tawni growls, "That cheap pathetic bitch is the enemy! We do not associate with her or _anybody _on that over-dramatic excuse for a show!" **(A/N: Sorry for the swearing…)**

I blink, a little upset that they'd call her a 'bitch' coz I don't much like the whole swearing field and have only swore once in my entire life – when I was 3 and didn't even know what swearing was. **(A/N: Personal experience…) **I instead try to figure out why Melody Falls are 'the enemy'.

"It can't be that bad." I say bleakly, and Zora sighs.

"Tell him, Nico." She says, "Tell him what he needs to hear."

Nico sighs too, dramatically, "It was two years ago. Melody Falls beat us out for the number one tween show in the Tween Weekly Awards. And then, if that wasn't crushing enough, there was… the interview."

They all dramatically stare into thin air at the same time, and I sigh. I remember that interview. Sonny Munroe had said during her interview, _"Some people would say that it's so random that we got this award, but it's not so random – it's NEVER So Random! Coz Melody Falls rules! Thank you, tweens!"_

I sure remember that interview – I'll admit, back then it was funny. But now, looking back, I see why they would be upset. I'd be pretty upset if that had happened to me.

"But we showed them!" Grady says, "We took their award from them!"

"Which we now use as a toilet paper holder!" Tawni adds, before she bursts out laughing. I sigh. I mean, I get the feud and all, but it's been two years? They really should try and move on. Plus, if our shows are enemies, there's no way that my cast will be fine with me crushing on their biggest rival.

"Look, guys, I know I'm the new kid…"

"Bored already!" Tawni says, collapsing into the chair.

"And I can see how upset you all are!" I continue, "But, don't you think it's time for the feud to end? Don't you think it's time to bury the hatchet?"

Zora grins, her face lighting up like a light bulb, "A hatchet! That's what we need!"

I notice her evil smile and gulp, "No, Zora. It's time to end the feud."

"That's what the hatchet's for!" She explains wickedly, and I gulp.

"Look, guys, maybe we just need a little time to try and… I dunno, get along with them!"

"And how are we meant to do that?" Tawni asks tiredly.

I pause, unsure of my response. "I really don't know… but I'll think of something! Don't worry – we can put an end to this stupid feud! Please…?"

They all roll their eyes simultaneously, before mumbling things like 'fine', and 'if we must', and 'it's not gonna work'.

"Oh, it'll work." I say, smiling, "Trust me!"

* * *

><p>The next day, I look around the Prop House which has been completely remodelled especially for today. I tried to ask the head of the studio, Mr Condor, for help, but he was busy at the time. So instead, I went to Marshall, who pretty much jumped at the idea of some kind of bonding thing. So, when I asked him if we could set up a bonding bowling game, he jumped at the idea with open arms. I just think, like me, he hated this stupid rivalry and wanted to get it over with. He probably didn't have the same intentions as me though – I was hoping to impress Sonny Munroe, and maybe, just maybe, she'll be mine.<p>

So, Marshall ordered a working bowling alley, which was brought into the studio (I really didn't know those things existed). We also set up bowls of food and refreshments, for after the game. It was so exciting!

My cast mates walk in, looking slightly happy to see the bowling lane, but when I tell them it was for the bonding thing their faces fall.

"Can't we just play on our own?" Grady asks, holding the award that started this whole thing in his hands, and I sigh, shaking my head.

"No." I say, "Marshall told the head of the studio about it, and he said if we don't try it out, he'll fire us. You guys don't wanna get fired, do you?"

They all shake their heads, murmuring irritably. I grin though – we'll see if they're still murmuring later!

The day draws on, and soon enough, 4 o'clock comes and the cast of Melody Falls, leaded by Sonny, walk in.

"Hey, guys." I smile, "Ready?"

"Sure…" She says, a spiteful smirk on her face. Ha, that'll be gone soon enough…

Sonny's POV

Chad Dylan Cooper… that kid sure is naïve. Does he honestly think that my cast and his cast will get along? Ha! Yeah right!

So, when I found out he'd organized a bonding thingy for our casts, what was I meant to do apart from what I do best? Sonny Munroe – greatest actress of her generation, and professional sabotager.

So, that is my plan. I am going to sabotage this little bowling game… and show Chad Dylan Cooper that you don't mess around with me.

I walk into the So Random Prop House with the rest of my cast, smirking when I see them all. The two guys that I'd met before today but couldn't remember their names were stood by the snack table, trying to sneak some food before the game. Then, I notice the blonde, who's doing her make-up in the corner. Hmm, how much she reminds me of an uglier, annoying version of me. And, she does comedy. Yuck.

I can't see the scary little girl anywhere, but my hunch tells me she's hiding. That freak… she just creeps me out. Ugh…

Then I look to the centre of the room, where new kid Chad is stood, smiling when he notices us. I try not to roll my eyes. That silly little boy – he doesn't realize who's he's messing with. He may be… cute, but that's off the subject. He's my enemy, and he needs to know that's where he stands.

"Hey guys," He says, that happy little grin stuck on his face, "Ready?"

"Sure…" I say, smirking a little. The look on his face tells me he's seen the smirk, but he doesn't really care about it. I decide it's time to have a little fun…

I, first of all, check if Portlyn and Chastity set up the traps like I asked (if they haven't, all this would've been a waste of time. And two people would be fired), and when they say they have, I grin my perfect-teethed grin, walking over to Chad and putting an arm on his shoulder.

"So…" I say, "Shall we get to bowling, guys?"

Chad beams as my cast nod in fake-agreement, before turning to his cast and saying, "See? They're cool with it!" _Oh, quite the contrary, Chaddy boy._

"Let's get started!" I say, picking up the heavy ball and wrinkling my nose in disgust. Ugh… orange so doesn't go with what I'm wearing right now. I look over to Chad as he gives me thumbs up to go, and I smile back to him, throwing the ball and knocking over some of the pins. Ugh… stupid pins… _It's okay, Sonny, soon enough you won't need to do this anymore. Just play along. _Haha, that's something I'm good at. I am an actor after all.

I watch in (fake) awe about 10 minutes later as new-boy balls his blue ball (which is the same color as his eyes… how did I know that?) into the pins and scores a perfect 10. He high-fives his friends and I groan. Ugh… if this was a contest, he'd be our only threat.

"Dude, you are awesome!" One of the boy Randoms says to him, "How did you get so good?"

"Well," Chad laughs, popping his collar, "Don't mean to brag, but I'm a pretty good sports player."

This thing is a sport? Okay, if you say so…

Portlyn taps me lightly on the shoulder, the fake smile burning at her lips. That's why the girl should exfoliate, or moisturise once in a while.

"Can we just get on with the pranks now?" She asks, "I hate being nice to these guys…"

I sigh. I was having fun, messing with the new kid and his little friends. But, she's right. It's getting tiresome.

As the Randoms and Chad stop for a drink break, I wink at Skyler, which is his signal to put glue in the holes of the balls – the classic bowling prank. Marta then puts butter on the floor so it's a little more slippery. I notice Chad look over our way, and decide to go make a distraction so that he doesn't see too much. I walk over to him, bouncing along the way, and he grins when he sees me.

"So…" He says, "How are ya?"

_Ha! That's what you're going for? Sweet… _"Much better now." I say seductively winking. Yep, I'm messing with the new kid. Problem? Too bad – he needs to know that you don't mess with Sonny Munroe.

Chad blushes an embarrassing shade of crimson before the other blonde Random boy goes to pick up the ball that Skyler glued. It isn't long before he's wailing about, trying to get his fingers out of the holes.

Only a few minutes later, the Randoms, trying to help the first one to fall into our trap, are all stuck on the ball in their attempts. All except Chad, who seemed smart enough to realize what was happening. He glares at each one of us in turn, a confused, and naïve, look on his face.

"What did you guys do?" He asks, "Was that you guys?"

"Of course it was!" The blonde girl says, "Chad, I knew this would happen! They're a bunch of jerks!"

Chad looks to me, a disapproving look on his face, and, just for a moment, I feel… guilty. I then shake it off and smile broadly. _Sonny Munroe __**does not**__ feel guilt. _

I walk up to the juvenile-minded, handsomely cute Random (…I didn't really say that last bit, by the way), still modelling an ear-to-ear grin, placing my right hand on his shoulder and twirling a length of my hair in the left hand.

"Kiss me." I whisper to him. **(Sarah…)**

"Wh-what?" He stutters, his eyes going wide.

"Just do it." I wink. It's this moment when I drop the hair and reach for a bowling ball, before putting the ball right in front of my face, where, indeed, Chad kisses it. when he pulls away from his smooch, the moment has been captured forever, on camera, by Chastity, and we all explode with laughter. Chastity then takes another picture of the Randoms stuck together, and they growl at us, moving together to attack us but slipping in the process. Chastity takes another picture as I find our Choice Award on the shelf and take it, smirking. The rest of my cast leave, and I follow them until I'm stopped by a disappointed look from Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Thanks a lot, Munroe." He frowns, and I scowl, before winking it him.

"No problem, kid." I say, "I think you've learnt something today – I will _never_ get along with your little _friends_. So give up your little dreams and stay in your show."

I then leave him behind me, storming back to my stage ready to film.

_Sonny Munroe doesn't feel guilt. And she certainly, __**certainly **__doesn't feel attraction to a boy._

_Especially to Chad Dylan Cooper…_

* * *

><p><strong>:) So, what did you think?<strong>

**Let's see if we can match the marvell of last chapter's 16 reviews... so... review! :D**


	3. Making Things Worse

**And here we are again with another fabulous chapter of Quite The Opposite! ;)**

**Before we get started, I wanna thank you guys so much for the reviews on this story. Since I last updated, chapter 1 got some more reviews, so that was awesome. And then, chapter 2 has exceeded the awesomeness of chapter 1's previous 15 reviews! There is now 18 for chapter 1 and 16 for chapter 2! Yay!**

**Okay, meaningless thank yous over with... StayStrong112, I have taken your advice and included that scene in this chapter. Well, most of the rest of that episode in this chapter, only edited quite a lot. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**I also realised the other day, I haven't been giving this story's chapters titles. So, I'll do it from now on :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 - Making Things Worse<strong>

Chad's POV

Well, yesterday I learnt my lesson.

Sonny Munroe really is a diva. And a jerk (can girls be jerks?). And, as Tawni so rightly put it two days ago… a _bitch _(sorry… I had to do that).

I honestly didn't expect that from Sonny. I mean, I've read the magazines, I've watched the reports; I've always known Sonny Munroe was a diva, Hollywood's bad girl. I always hoped that they were just rumours though, and maybe, just maybe, the real Sonny Munroe was in there. Somewhere.

Or… maybe not.

I was raised to believe there was good in everyone. And, for my whole life, that sure has been the truth. Even in Tawni – she actually comforted me after the whole bowling incident… kinda. She said, "This is your fault. I told you Sonny was a creep. You poor little soul… we should so get revenge!"

Yeah… I don't know how that was comforting to me, but hey, it was enough. From Tawni.

But then… Sonny? She honestly is a lying, evil, manipulative diva, since everything that happened yesterday made her that way in my eyes. Plus, later after that, I got a text from Sonny (how she got my number, I have no clue) saying that if we didn't say Melody Falls was the best on our next show that she'd send the pictures from yesterday to Tween Weekly.

Hmm… blackmail, much? I denied her the fun of watching me or anyone else say that her show is better than ours though – she doesn't deserve the pleasure. No, I'm sure, no matter how embarrassing it will be, this will be better for us… I think.

So, I walk into the studio the next day, silently begging to myself that my cast-mates aren't still mad at me for yesterday's humiliation.

"Hey guys," I say as I walk into the Prop House, "You're not mad at me still, are you?"

"We _weren't_…" Nico says, his eyes glued to the screen, along with Grady, who is sat next to him, the same shocked expression on his face.

"Until we saw _this_…" Grady adds, and when I turn to see what they're gaping at, I notice that Sonny, true to her word, has posted the photos on Tween Weekly. Even ones that we didn't realize were taken – like when Grady was taking a shot and his… eh-hem, back door was open… a picture of Tawni kissing her mirror in the corner…

She's even posted the one of me kissing a bowling ball. I didn't know it was a bowling ball! Although, I did wonder why Sonny's cheek was so slippery…

I scowl at the screen as Tawni and Zora show up, just as mad at the photos (and at me) as the others.

"Nice one, Chad." Tawni says, before pulling an innocent face and saying, "Ooh! I know, guys – let's tempt fate and get ourselves embarrassed in front of the entire world by inviting Sonny The Diva Munroe into our studio! It'll be fun!"

I growl at her annoying 'impression' of me, "Okay, first off, that sounds nothing like me. Secondly, I didn't know that this was gonna happen, did I?"

I sit on the couch between Grady and Nico, my head in my hands, wondering how the heck this happened – how one girl and her followers could ruin my new life in Hollywood this quickly. What'll be my new rep? The bowling-ball kisser? It's possible.

"No, you didn't." Tawni says, "We did. But you didn't. And now, there's nothing we can do… thanks for that."

I'm slightly offended that my friends aren't backing me up here – I'm as much of a victim in this as they are – and so I decide what I need to do. I need to go talk to Sonny and make sure she knows how cruel she is, how much trouble this one little 'joke' has caused.

"It's okay, guys," I say, "I'm going over to Melody Falls and I won't come back until our dignity is restored."

* * *

><p>So that's why I'm heading to Stage 2 right now, storming down the hallway like I'm on a mission. I guess that shows, because when I reach the stage door, the security guard doesn't stop me. He just stares at me and lets me in. Wow… do I look that scary?<p>

I walk onto the set, where I can see Sonny stood with her cast-mate, Skyler, doing what I assume to be a rehearsal. Meh, her rehearsals can wait.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask, walking onto the set behind her.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with…" She asks, not turning to face me, before pausing and saying to Skyler, "You didn't say that…"She then turns to see me, and I glower at her, giving her a small, sarcastic wave.

"We need to talk." I tell her. She groans, rolling her eyes, as a voice yells _Cut! _and Skyler storms off of the set. Oops… they were in the middle of a shooting. I really need to learn not to storm onto a set _whilst _someone is recording. Oh well, who cares? I'm too mad right now to be bothered by it.

"We were in the middle of a scene there." Sonny scowls, "What is your problem?"

"My problem?" I ask her, trying not to let myself get too mad at the situation. I don't need to get worked up over this diva. "My problem is that everything my friends…" I pause. They're not _all _my friends… "And Tawni… told me about you and your cast was true. You're all a bunch of bullies." Sonny looks hurt at my comment, but in a sarcastic way. More like she's hurt but she doesn't care. Well, duh. Sonny doesn't care about anything.

"And… you're like the leader in the whole thing." I continue, just wanting to get some sort of reaction from Sonny that isn't sarcastic or mocking in any way. "You're like… the principal at Sonny Munroe's School for Bullies. You're like the captain on the ship S.S. Bully. You're like…"

"Chad!" She says, rolling her eyes once again in a tired way, stopping my rant in its tracks, "I get it. You saw the photos, didn't you?"

"Yep." I say, "You know what you did was _blackmail_, right?"

Sonny shrugs a little, "So…?"

"So, there was no need for any of that!" I say, "Even yesterday. You had no right to pull all those pranks, coz we were trying to be nice."

Sonny laughs, walking closer to me, "Please, Chad, we both know you were just trying to trap us."

"Trap you?" I ask, and she nods. I smirk, "Oh, you are such an exaggerator! We were trying to make peace; to put an end to this stupid rivalry – we were trying to be kind."

"Were you, Chad?" Sonny asks, the smirk fading from her face as she grabs my hands and sighs, "Were you really?" She then closes the gap between us, and it's so small that you couldn't fit an issue of Tween Weekly between us. Oh my…

Someone dims the lights like would happen in an episode of Melody Falls, but Sonny carries on regardless. What the…? "Look, it was so sweet of you to do that – you are a sweet guy." She says in a smooth, calming voice, one she's probably spent years perfecting on Melody Falls, "But our shows are too big enemies to come to any kind of agreement anymore – it's an impossible task." She then sighs, looking up to the moon on the set, and I follow her gaze, totally confused. "I wish we could become… _friends_…" She says the word 'friends' like it's poisonous, "But there's nothing we can do about it."

"What?" I say, baffled, as she wipes an imaginary tear from her eyes, and I immediately realize why this girl's on a drama show. When something's not a joke to her, it's a scene from her show.

"Shush…" She says, making her voice crack slightly as if she's been crying, putting a finger to my lips, "You have to leave quickly, before my make-up runs. I want you to remember me like this. Go, and lay your sweet dreams of peace to bed."

I turn to the door, confused. What the heck was all this about? What is she trying to do, seduce me or something? Strange girl… and I know she's faking it. Maybe she's just toying with my emotions. Well, too bad for her – it hasn't worked.

I turn back when I reach the door and say to Sonny, "You're weird, you know that? And not as good an actress in person."

And with that, as Sonny's eyes widen and her scowl sets firmly on her face, I wink, grin, and strut out of the set, back to So Random.

* * *

><p>My goal was to get mine and my cast's dignity resorted, right? Uh… fail. If anything, I just made it worse – say something about Sonny that offends her andor her acting even slightly, and you're likely to end up with a bucket of fish guts on your head in days. Not to mention that if you even have any kind of interaction with Sonny Munroe, your Sonny-hating cast members are gonna interrogate you about it.

After talking to Sonny, I walk straight back to the Prop House. I hope to have some quiet time in there to think – something I haven't had in the week I've been here. After noticing that my friends are all in the Prop House though, I realize that quiet time isn't going to be an option now. Especially when they see me enter and run up to me, saying things like, "There he is!" and "How's it go?" and "Bet nothing much happened."

"Hey guys…" I laugh, but it comes out more a nervous babble, "Where have you been?"

"Waiting here for your news on Sonny." Grady says.

"What news?" I ask, trying to be innocent. They see right through it though.

"You know!" Nico says, "How did it go with her?"

"Oh!" I say, "Uh… not well…"

"Knew it." Tawni says, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. I sigh – I honestly am getting nowhere with this girl, after everything I've done, she hates me. "We want revenge, Chad gets nothing. I bet she just flirted with him romantically like they were on an episode of her show and then he walked off speechless."

I scoff, only because what she's said is pretty much correct. "I wasn't totally speechless…" I say timidly, but it doesn't fool them one bit. They can read me like a flipping _book_. Am I _that_ predictable… and after only _one week_?

"All we wanted was a little revenge…" Zora repeats glumly, and I huff.

"Fine." I say, "You guys want revenge – we'll get revenge."

"Really? How?" Tawni asks. I pause, to think about it.

"How about… we challenge them to something, and bet that if we beat them at something, we get the award back and they take the pictures off the internet or something?"

Nico blinks, "Beat them at what?"

I gulp. Haven't thought of that… "Something… we're good at!"

"Like what?" Grady asks, before offering, "Musical Chairs?"

"Why?" I ask, a desperate tone in my voice. I just want this whole revenge to be over with so my friends can forgive me for my screw-up. "Are we good at that?"

* * *

><p>And… that's why we're in the cafeteria now, setting up chairs in a circle for the bet. It took a long time to convince Sonny – she said she had better things to do than to waste her time playing some sad juvenile game. But when I promised that if she won, we'd announce on So Random that Melody Falls was the best show ever, she smiled smugly and said that she'd be delighted to play.<p>

So, the stakes were – if we won, we got their stolen award back, they took the pictures off the internet, and Sonny had to say something nice about So Random on their show (Sonny didn't much like this one). If they won, they keep the pictures on the internet and keep their award, we have to say Melody Falls is the best show of all time on our show and, for one day, I'd have to be Sonny's personal driver. This one was courtesy of Chastity, who said she thought we looked adorable together, and, when Sonny protested, pointed out that it would embarrass me even more.

You can probably tell, I'm praying that we'll win. And if we really are good at Musical Chairs, maybe we will. Yep, I'm feeling confident.

Everyone else looks like they have the opposite attitude to it all. "I can't believe we're actually doing this…" Grady says, a panicky tone in his voice. I look up at him with a frown.

"Grady, I thought you said we were good at this." I say, and he laughs emotionlessly.

"No, no, I said this is what we were _best_ at. I didn't say we were _good_!"

I gulp. Uh-oh… we're in trouble. I try not to let my team know this though.

"C'mon, it'll be easy! We can beat them if we just…" I pause in confusion and a small ounce of dread, "…think happy thoughts?"

"Sounds _great_, Dr Phil." Tawni rolls her eyes, filing her nails in the corner of the cafeteria, "Happy thoughts aren't gonna make us better at something we suck at."

I shrug, "I really don't know then."

"We're toast, aren't we?" Zora says, and for the first time, I hate to admit that she may be right.

"Eh-hem?"

A bored voice comes from the doorway, and I turn to see Sonny and the rest of her cast, wearing their academy uniform from the show. Each one of them is either showing off their perfect white teeth with a smirk, or pulling a disgusted face at us like we're something gross you'd find under a rock that you want to squish.

"Let's get this over with," Sonny says, "I have a nail appointment to get to." She holds up her hands and winks, "It's my celebration for when we _win_."

I shrug, smirking. "Something tells me there's gonna be a cancellation of that celebration."

"Which is a shame," Tawni adds, looking disgustedly at Sonny's nails, "Coz you need it."

Sonny's eyes narrow, and she glares at me, and Tawni, in turn. "Let's get this over with." She repeats, taking a seat and waiting for someone to start the music.

The game goes on for 20 minutes, and soon enough, only Sonny and I are left. We circle the lone chair repetitively, giving each other death looks as our casts cheer us on.

Sonny smirks at me, saying, "Looks like it's just you, me, and one more thing you're not gonna get!"

I roll my eyes at her comment and say, "You're acting pretty confident for someone who's gonna _lose_."

Sonny laughs emotionlessly, keeping a hand on the chair just in case the music stops. "At least I can act." She says assertively, flicking her hair back with her spare hand.

"Can you, Sonny?" I wink, "Can you really?"

At this, Sonny's eyes flash with anger, and she speeds around from the back of the chair to the front. I do the same, trying to keep as close to the front of the chair as possible without cheating.

"Go Chad!" I hear Zora squeal from the side, and after that, all I can hear is my cast's screams of excitement as the music stops and I'm closest to the chair. But just before I can take my seat and proclaim victory for my team, something horrid happens.

"Ow!"

I hear a scream from behind me, and when I turn around, I see Sonny on the floor, clenching her ankle and weeping.

"Sonny?" I say softly, "Are you okay?"

"No…" She sobs, "It's my ankle… it's really hurting… I think something might have snapped."

"Oh man…" I say sympathetically. Sure, I hate Sonny, but I'm not a jerk. I'm not gonna just leave her there, grovelling in pain while I celebrate a victory with my friends. But then… maybe she deserves the humiliation?

Maybe I should've just sat on the chair, rather than stopping to see if she was okay. Too late now – I'm not gonna just leave her there. I couldn't live with the guilt for days after it. "That looks serious. We'd better get you to a doctor."

"Chad, no, it's a trap!" Zora says from behind me, and I sigh. Why are my cast so unforgiving?

"Zora, please!" I say, before turning back to Sonny to see her sobbing more quietly now. "Here…take my hand…" I offer her my hand, and she takes it, wiping a tear from her eye.

But the next thing that Sonny does chucks me down to the floor… literally.

Sonny grins, and before I can question her sudden happiness she tugs me to the ground, getting up and sitting on the chair, smirking in victory.

"Peace out, suckah!" She laughs, high-fiving her cast members. It's only then when I get my breath back from the sudden shock, and I get up slowly, sadly, my arm aching from where Sonny tugged at it.

"You tricked me?" I say, and Sonny turns to me, beaming.

"Nope," She says with a wink, "I was acting. And you said I couldn't act… look who's laughing now, you little jokester!"

Her cast continue with the celebrations, laughing at us, telling us we're losers once again, and in the heat of the moment, I feel sick and run out of the room, leaving a bunch of confused people behind me.

Well, I learnt my lesson. _Never _trust Sonny Munroe. Odds are, you'll wind up hurt, in maybe more ways than one.

Sonny's POV

It comes to the point in the game where Chad and I are the only ones left. We race around the chair, shooting insults to each other. When Chad uses my patent "really, name, really?" thing, I know I'm toast. And when the music stops and Chad is closer to the chair than I am, I know I'm toast too.

I'm not a cheater. I don't usually need to do anything it takes to win, coz I always do win. But, it seems Chad is going to triumph this time. _I'm not a loser_… I think to myself. And in a split second, I decide what I need to do… whatever it takes.

"Ow!" I yell, collapsing to the ground, and the cheers from Chad's team subside as he looks down at me, frowning. Haha, he's falling for it!

I stay in character as Chad says softly, "Sonny? Are you okay?"

"No…" I whimper, deciding to take it up a notch by starting to fake cry. Okay, so I know how to cry on command. I'm just that good. "It's my ankle… it's really hurting… I think something might have snapped."

"Oh man…" Chad says, sympathy flooding his voice, and for a second, I almost feel guilty that I'm making him worry when I'm not actually hurt. But then I remember – Sonny Munroe does not feel guilt. "That looks serious. We'd better get you to a doctor."

"Chad, no, it's a trap!" The small Random tells Chad, and I gulp. She's gonna wreck the whole thing! I let out a little sob just to assure Chad that I'm not fine, and he turns to the Random angrily.

"Zora, please!" He says. He then turns back to me, the sympathy returning back to his face. "Here… take my hand."

Chad reaches his hand down to my level, and I grab it, ignoring the spark I feel when our hands touch. Stupid Chad, giving me an electric shock…

I look up to Chad, wiping a fake tear from my eye, before pulling at his arm, and he lets out a yelp as he falls to the floor. I then get up, sit in the seat and smirk.

"Peace out suckah!" I yell, as my cast let out a cheer of victory and the Randoms whine in disappointment.

Chad gets up, moaning a little. Oh no… did I hurt him? Not that I care.

"You tricked me?" He says, and I smirk. _Yep. Serves you right for messing with Sonny Munroe and her emotions. _

"Nope." I say, "I was acting. And you said I couldn't act… look who's laughing now, you little jokester!"

Chad face suddenly falls, his eyes full of sadness, regret, and I have to look away before I start to mope and cry and apologise for what I've done. Sonny Munroe does not apologise… and besides, Chad had this coming to him – not just for making me doubt my emotions but also for saying that _I_ couldn't act.

A few seconds later, I hear footsteps storm out of the room, and turn to see that Chad Dylan Cooper has gone.

"Nice one, Munroe." The blonde girl Random, Tawni, says to me. "You upset Chad… happy now?"

_No. I feel stupid and horrible and bitchy. I wish I'd never done that coz it hurt to see the pain on Chad's face when he realised that I'd tricked him. I shouldn't have done it… it was cheating, lying, selfish, and it was wrong. _

"Very." I say, "I think the guy's probably learnt now that he shouldn't mess with me… now, if you'll excuse us, Randoms, we're going to celebrate our umpteenth victory against you. So, run along, and tell your little friend that I don't care if I hurt him, and that he should lighten up."

Wow… I am a bitch.

As the Randoms walk off, following the path of Chad, I gulp silently, feeling regret for the first time in years.

What have I done?

Chad's POV

After leaving the cafeteria, I head straight for the dressing room, slamming the door behind me.

Why am I overreacting? I should've known that Sonny would cheat in some way. Being an actress (and admittedly, a good one) she was obviously going to trick me like that, and to be honest, it hurt.

It shouldn't have though. Sonny Munroe is evil, and I know that. I just don't know why it was so painful to see her get up after all that, fit, well, laughing in my face.

Unbelievable…

"Chad?"

I turn around, wiping away a potential tear because I'm not going to let someone like Sonny make me cry, and I'm not going to let anyone in Hollywood see that either. That would make my reputation plummet and I'd look like a sap.

Stood in the doorway on the other side of the room is Tawni Hart, a small pout on her face. She looks up at me with concerned eyes, and sighs.

"I thought you'd be in here." She says, walking closer, before she smirks a little. "This is where I usually come when I'm mad, to cry."

I wipe my face, just to make sure there are no tears on it so I'm not a liar when I say; "I'm not crying."

Tawni tilts her head to the side jokingly, putting on a babyish voice and saying; "Are you sure?"

I sigh, sitting up straight a little to make me look cooler and stronger. "Men don't cry." I assure her.

"Aw, that's a shame…" She says, taking the seat next to me, "Girls love a little sensitivity."

"I'm _not _crying." I repeat, smiling a little, before I sigh, "I'm just… annoyed that Sonny would do that. I mean, I knew she was bad, but that was…"

"Awful." She says, "I've said it again and again – Sonny Munroe can't be trusted. She's just horrible."

"I know." I say, "It's just annoying that it took all this for me to figure that out."

Tawni sighs, putting a hand on my knee gently, "I'm sorry about that." She says, "If it makes you feel any better, Sonny Munroe has tricked pretty much all of us into trusting her."

I blink, "Really?"

She nods, "When we were younger…" She says, a hint of annoyance and disgust in her voice, "Sonny and I were best friends."

I hold in a laugh, "You're joking?"

"Nope." She says, shaking her head, "We were in a show called The Goody Gang together. Then, time went on, Melody Falls came along, fame got the best of Sonny, and she became Hollywood's bad girl, and an even bigger diva than I was. And I hated that, because my best friend was changing, for the worse."

She then huffs, holding her head in her hands, "Sonny's cast were all snobs, and they hated me and So Random, which had only just started as well. They made her choose between the Falls and me… and she picked the Falls. Then, a few weeks went by, and she came to my dressing room and was being all nice to me, hanging out with me, and it felt like old times. She got me to spill what I thought of her cast mates, and then ran back to them and told them that I hated them and thought they were all pampered freaks. Next thing I knew, chicken feathers and goo was dunked on my head. I never hung out with Sonny again."

I frown, horrified by the story. "Aw, Tawni, I'm so sorry…" I say, taking the hand that's on my knee and holding it in my hand. I then let it go of it when things start to feel closer, somewhat uncomfortable."

"It's okay," Tawni smiles sadly, "Just… don't be annoyed by Sonny, okay? She's horrible. I know you have a bit of a crush on her, but she's not worth it. You deserve way better."

I smile at Tawni's sudden change of heart towards me. Hmm… maybe she does like me? "Don't worry." I say, "I'm completely over Sonny."

"Awesome." Tawni grins, "Wanna go to rehearsal?"

"Sure," I say, "I have to practice what I'm gonna say for next week's show… you know, the bet."

"I know…" She nods, groaning. "That's going to be so annoying."

I nod in agreement. "And… sorry for losing the Musical Chairs. I was so _stupid _to believe Sonny rather than listening to you guys."

"You weren't stupid." Tawni says, "You didn't know Sonny well enough to realise that she's a faker. Don't worry about it – none of us blame you. I think we all just want revenge on Sonny."

I smile, chuckling at the revenge bit. Hmm, that's not a bad idea…

"Thanks, Tawni. You know, when you're not talking to yourself in the mirror, you're alright."

Tawni laughs, "Haha, very funny. You're alright too, Cooper."

"So…" I say, finally feeling comfortable around Tawni for the first time since I arrived, "…Friends?"

"Friends." Tawni agrees.

We then grin at each other, heading to the Prop House to find the others and begin rehearsals. But I can't help thinking about Sonny all through rehearsals, even though I told Tawni I was over her.

I guess I'm just being stupid. I don't like Sonny… I know I don't.

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><p><strong>Wow... that was a lot of writing. I'm poofed. <strong>

**So... make all my writing worthwhile and review!**

**Ooh, also, last chapter, someone (KeyaraBinti) reviewed asking me if I could do two of the episodes from SWAC in this story - "SWAC of Dating" and "Sonny In The Kitchen With Dinner". If anyone else would specifically like me to write one episode from SWAC into this story, just to see how I'd do it, mention it in a review. I will do my best to include it somewhere in the story :) Seriously, do. I don't bite :) Much... :P**

**Yes, I am hoping to get in some original stuff next chapter though. I'm not only gonna do things from the real show, like I mentioned before. **

**So... that's all from me. Over to you... so review! :D Haha, that rhymes ;)**


	4. Revenge: CDC Style!

**Hey there, guys!**

**So, thanks to the lovely PM I got from Chikiw8Channy earlier, this chapter is up! It's not a recreation of any of the SWAC episodes. It's sort of... an in-betweeny one, and will lead up to next chapter, which will be a recreation. I don't like it as much as I could have, but hey, it's here for you! Hope you like it :D**

**I had to do A LOT of research on Californian driver's license's and learner's permits, etc, etc, and I bet I got something wrong still. Correct me if I did, I won't hate you for it :)**

**So... Chikiw8Channy, this chapter is dedicated to you! You wanted a new chapter, here it is!**

**Important announcement at the bottom, guys. Make sure you read it.**

**Ready... set... read!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 - Revenge: CDC Style!<strong>

Chad's POV

For the whole of rehearsal, the word _revenge _hangs over all our heads, tempting us like the devil. I keep trying to tell the guys that we shouldn't stoop to the Drama's level and get revenge, but the more I think about the idea, the more I like it.

Soon enough, we have a plan. A plan to show Sonny that we can act just as well as she can. We will get Sonny Munroe to apologise for the first time in known history, and then tell the press about it and let some random rumours spring up from it that will maybe cause Sonny some mischief.

The next day, I come into the studio with the plan in mind. I will be pretending to be upset after what Sonny did yesterday, so much so that I don't come out of the dressing room all day. The others will tell Sonny about this, and hopefully, this will mean that Sonny feels bad and comes to talk to me. That's when Zora will be hiding in the vent, filming the first showing of Sonny Munroe apologising. And then we'll just make up some crazy story to get the press talking… and hopefully, this will cause trouble for her.

This is gonna be awesome.

Sonny's POV

The day after the Musical Chairs thing, I wait at my house for Chad. Since I won the Musical Chairs, he has to be my chauffeur – this part of the bet was well picked out by Chastity. Hey, it will give me some time with Chad, so it should be fun (not that I'd let anyone know that I think time with Chad will be '_fun'_).

The morning goes on, and no sign of Chad, so I text him.

_Chad, where are you? You're meant to pick me up! You're my driver for the day, remember? SM x_

A few minutes later, I get the reply.

_**One problem – I don't have my licence yet. Should've thought of that, sucker. **_

I roll my eyes. That little…

_You're 16, right? SM x_

_**Nope. 15. 16 in, uh, 2 months. Ha. Besides, not in the mood to spend time with you, even if I could drive. -_-**_

_Surely you have your learner's permit though, right? And what does that mean? SM x_

I don't get a reply, so I decide to just drive myself. Well, someone's in a bad mood. Oh, that guy is so gonna get it for ignoring and lying to _me_…

I arrive at Condor Studios, heading straight to rehearsal, because, thanks to _Chad_, I'm about half an hour late. No-one really cares if I'm late though – it's not like they'd fire _me_.

After rehearsals, I decide to head to So Random and ask Chad why the hell he ignored me later, and why he didn't mention he hadn't got his license yet. I try not to look too obvious though – if the other Randoms notice me walking around, they're gonna get suspicious.

So, I head to their stage, because I think they begin rehearsals around when my rehearsals end. I hide behind a few props though – I am _not _going to be seen hanging around the Randoms during their rehearsals. That would spring up all kind of bad publicity… _unwanted _bad publicity, that is. Someone of my level in the celebrity world can't be seen hanging around with, well, the _Randoms_.

I do notice though, that the newbie Random seems to be missing from the rehearsal.

Huh… weird. I wonder where he is… not that I care or anything, duh.

Considering Chad isn't around, I decide not to stick around for the lame rehearsals. That show's only good when Chad's on it… not that I watched it to see Chad or anything. Once again, duh. So I walk around the stage instead, silently hoping to bump into the blonde cutie (okay, so I think he's cute. Problem? Didn't think so).

After about 5 minutes of random walking, I do bump into him. He turns to face me, and I'm a little surprised to see that he looks pretty mad to see me. Huh. So he's not smitten with me anymore?

"Sonny." He says, looking down to his feet suddenly. Aw, he's shy! Ha. Or just agitated in my presence.

"Chad." I reply. "What happened to you? Or does your happiness have a limit?"

"Not in the mood, Sonny." He says, almost a whisper. I blink.

"Someone got you down, Cooper?" I ask, and he looks up at me. I see the pain in his eyes and realise he really is down.

"Yeah, _someone_ did." He spits, "Just… stay out of it."

Before I can talk anymore, he walks off, past me and into a door down the hall, slamming the door loudly. Hmm… maybe I should go talk to him… no. I can't – I won't. I don't care about why he's so upset – Sonny Munroe doesn't care. Knowing that he's upset is enough for me.

Or is it? A few hours on from that moment, and I still can't get that sad-eyed look out of my head. I've never seen anyone look so upset, so crushed… and what if it was my fault? I did upset him a little yesterday, after the whole Musical Chairs thing… what if I've really, really hurt him?

Hold on a minute… why should I care? The guy's my enemy – I should hate him. I _do _hate him… I think… my point is; why should I, Sonny Munroe, care if a Random is mad at me? I shouldn't give a damn, right?

Then again… maybe I should go down to the set to check. Y'know, just coz.

So, I head down to Stage 2, trying really hard not to get noticed by anyone…

It fails.

Whilst looking behind me to check if anyone's following me, I round a corner and bump into the Randoms' Blondie herself – Tawni Hart. One of my biggest rivals and, tragically, my ex-best friend.

She scans me, disgusted. "Sonny." She says.

"Blondie." I retort, a smirk on my face.

"What are you doing here?" She snaps, "You're not welcome here, remember?"

"I remember," I say, "I just felt like gracing you pathetic people with my presence." I shoot her a sarcastic megawatt grin and add, "No need to thank me."

"I wasn't gonna," She replies, "You're hot air is making this place feel like a sauna, so I'd rather you left."

"Can't," I say, "I'm here for another reason."

"And that is…?"

"A secret."

She rolls her eyes, "Whatever. Just don't grease up our halls with your _drama_."

"Fine." I say, flicking my hair and strutting past her.

"Oh, and one more thing…" She says. I stop, turning to face her.

"What?"

"Don't set a _foot _hear Chad. He is _pissed _at you." **(...Sorry :/)**

_So I was right… _I put on an innocent face and hold my hand to my chest. "Whatever for?" I ask.

"Save it." She growls, "Just leave Chad alone… or you'll have me to deal with."

"I wouldn't hurt him…" I say, which leads to a sparkle in Tawni's eye. I almost see her smirk. Uh oh… wasn't the right thing to say. "I mean… I wouldn't bother hurting him. That would mean I'd have to talk to him. No thanks."

Tawni rolls her eyes, "That's exactly what I'm talking about!" She moans. "Just… stay away. Or else."

With that, she flips her hair dramatically (but amateur dramatic, not professional) and storms down the hall, her cheap 1 inch heels clicking on the lino floor. I pull a face at her back before continuing down the hall, looking for the room I saw Chad walk into earlier.

So I have really hurt the newbie in some way… why do I feel a little guilty?

Chad's POV

Wow. As great as this plan is, it's boring. I've been hauled up in my dressing room for 4 hours – I missed rehearsal, I had to have my lunch delivered here, all so that Sonny didn't run into me. That would ruin the plan.

Right now, I'm flicking through this week's Tween Weekly, reading through the articles on me and my cast and Sonny and everything else, over and over again till I'm bored of that too. It's that moment when I finally put the magazine down that Tawni walks in the door, smiling a little.

"How's it going?" I ask, "The plan?"

"Great." She says, "I just ran into Sonny in the hallway – I told her you were upset and she seemed a little worried when I told her you were upset… I think she's buying it!"

"Awesome." I smile.

"She's on her way!" A voice comes from the vents. I nod to Tawni, which signals her to leave. She does so, giving me thumbs up as a sign of good luck. I smile and nod as a thanks, and she leaves.

This is gonna be awesome! Revenge on Sonny Munroe. Hmm… what shall we make this big story about? Sonny Munroe Gone Mad? It does sound kinda crazy when you think about it, but hey, who cares? I just want to get back at Sonny for everything she's done to me, to my cast, since I arrived, and all the times before that.

But then I think it through once more. What is our plan again? Make Sonny Munroe apologise? Make up some crazy story to cause her trouble linking to the apology? It's all pretty ridiculous, when you think about it.

I also remember what I was taught growing up – fighting fire with fire just gets you a bigger fire. Sure, I am mad at Sonny for what she did, but I'm not going to stoop to her level just to get revenge on her. I'm not like that.

I text Zora, telling her to head to the Prop House because Sonny's on her way there. She isn't really – I just want to get Zora away from here, so she doesn't tape Sonny's apology, so that the rest of the Randoms can't laugh at it later, so we can't make up some crazy lie about Sonny going mad.

But hey, just because I'm not going through with the plan anymore doesn't mean I don't want to see Sonny apologise anymore…

There's a knock on the door and I put on a sad face, ready for Sonny's entrance. I do still want to see Sonny apologise, just once.

"Go away!" I shout, taking a seat and crossing my arms angrily.

"Not gonna happen." A voice comes from the door. Sonny.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"To talk."

I pause for a little, as if I'm thinking, before saying. "Fine. Come in."

Sonny opens the door, peering her head through it and smiling that infamous smile my way. I return it with a scowl and her eyebrows crinkle with worry, before she loosens them up again, looking care-free once more.

"Funny got your tongue, Cooper?" She asks. I look away like I don't hear her.

"Are you not gonna talk to me, then?" Sonny questions after a long silence, but I stay quiet. "A-are you okay?"

I decide to finally talk. "No. No, Sonny, I'm not." I say, a scowl firm on my face. Sonny laughs a little, trying to lighten the mood.

"C'mon!" She says, "You cannot seriously still be mad at me for what happened yesterday."

"Well, I am." I say, "I've met a lot of bitchy people in my time, but you're possibly one of the worse."

Her face falls, and I can see I've hurt her, but she rearranges her expressions so quickly, I can't be too sure if she really did look upset in the first place. Okay, I admit, that girl's an excellent actress. But then, I'm a great actor too.

"C'mon, Chad!" She moans, "It was a joke! Lighten up! Geez, you sure are one of the most uptight guys I've ever met."

I frown at her, pretending to be totally crushed, and she looks at me with shock.

"I didn't mean it in a mean way, Chad…" She says, "I'm sorry, I…"

It's that moment when I smirk. She pauses.

"Chad?" She asks, panic in her voice.

"Why, Miss Munroe…" I sneer, "Was that an apology I heard?"

Sonny tilts her head, confused, before realising what just happened and groaning.

"I never thought _the _Sonny Munroe would _apologise_."

"You were faking?" She asks, eyes open wide, and I nod, smirking. "Why you little…" She does a face-palm, pacing like she can't quite believe what's just happened. She then turns to me. "Why were you pretending?"

"Me and the others wanted to watch you apologise." I explain, "For some big crazy scheme we thought up."

"Wait…" Sonny gulps, "_Others_?"

"Oh, no, don't worry," I say, "I sent them away because I rethought the whole thing and didn't want revenge in the end. This moment is just between us."

"Oh…" Sonny says, smiling a little, before moving my way, gracefully, gently. "Then, I suppose, so is this…"

She then leans close to me, so close that I feel faint from the smell of her strong perfume, and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. I suddenly feel a ton of emotions – confusion, hurt, anger, happiness, attraction… and it all comes out as one big blur.

"What the heck was that?" I ask, my voice squeaking a little because of the shock that I'd just been kissed on the cheek by the infamous Sonny Munroe.

Sonny smirks, shrugging, "A symbol of _congrats _for fooling me." She says, "It takes a pretty good actor to fool Sonny Munroe… and you just about pulled it off, Cooper."

"Thanks." I smile, before it cracks into a smirk. "Apologies and compliments? Are you sure you're Sonny Munroe? Or possibly her good twin, Bunny Munroe?"

Sonny rolls her eyes, giggling a little. "Very funny, Cooper. I can see why you're on So Random… they need you to qualify for an _actual_ comedy show."

"Ouch." I wink, "Hurtful, Munroe. You don't want me to go back to the sad-eyed act, do you?"

"Na," She says, "Although he is cute…"

My heart just about flips over when I hear Sonny Munroe say that I'm cute.

"…The other Chad is a fabulous actor." She says, before offering, "Perhaps there's a spot for him on Melody Falls… after Peter falls off a cliff?"

I laugh, "The other Chad is flattered, but he'd rather stay on So Random."

"Suit yourself." She says. She grabs my hands, and I suddenly feel really hot… seriously, has it got warmer in here? "Are you really fifteen?" She asks, and I remember the whole 'no driver's licence' thing. I forgot about that when making the bet… ha.

"Yup." I say, "Sixteen in October."

"That's a bummer…" She growls, "I was upset when my chauffeur didn't show up today."

"That's your problem." I shrug, "You're just gonna have to wait till October before I can pay off that part of the bet."

She moans a little, before her face lights up. "You have your learner's permit though, right?"

I nod, before realising what she's suggesting. "No. Sonny, I can't drive with that – I need to have a responsible adult in the car with me!"

"You'll have me." She winks, and I roll my eyes.

"You're not an adult." I say, "Or very responsible."

Sonny glares at me, "Funny." She murmurs, "But seriously, I'm sure it'll be fine! If you get a fine, I'll pay for it."

"And if I get thrown in jail?"

"I'll bail you out."

I look up to the ceiling in despair. She sure is determined. "Fine." I give in.

"Fine." She smiles.

"Good." I add, just because it feels like it's meant to be there.

"Good." She finishes with a wink, grabbing my hand and pulling me out into the parking lot.

What have I let myself in for?

Sonny's POV

So, it turns out Chad was faking this 'you hurt me' thing this whole time, just to see me apologise. And, I hate to admit it, but he had me fooled. A little. You know, kinda.

And then I kissed him. What the hell was I thinking when I did that? One little kiss, on the cheek. To be honest, I thought it would mean nothing to me, to either of us. But it sure did make me swoon a little. I felt something I'd never felt before – a desire to do more, but not in a sexual way. More a… romantic way.

I also learnt his birthday is October… two months away. I should get someone to remember that for me. Or I'll remember it, just because I don't want people to know that I want them to remember _Chad Dylan Cooper's birthday _for me… that would spring up all kind of questions to which I wouldn't have the answers to, and that would land me in a big mess with my cast and friends.

And now I've asked him to drive me round, wherever I want to go, for the rest of the afternoon, even though he hasn't got a license. Gosh, if this goes wrong, I'm gonna be in a heap of trouble…

"So… where do you wanna go?" He asks me, adjusting the mirror of my convertible (because there was no way I was letting him drive me around in his car… it was tiny. Ew).

"Uh… mall?" I ask, and he nods.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness."

With a wink and shaky wrists, Chad backs out of the space, me directing him. He almost crashes into another car and I realise that I was stupid to ask him to do this. If I die during an accident in this car, it's on my head. And Daddy will kill me for any marks or scratches, so I'm definitely doomed.

In slight fear, I grab onto something, hoping it will keep me safe. It's a long while until I realise that this thing I've grabbed is Chad's knee, and things suddenly feel awkward.

I move my hand swiftly before Chad has time to acknowledge it, instructing him a little more. Hey, I'd make a great driving instructor!

I watch Chad as he drives, and I can tell he thinks we're gonna die too. Aw, he looks cute when he's scared.

…

…Where'd _that _come from?

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><p><strong>Heehee, hope you liked it :) Even though it was my least favourite so far... oh well.<strong>

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - I WILL NOT BE UPDATING FOR ANOTHER WEEK FROM NOW**

**This is because I am leaving to go camping in France tomorrow, and will get back late on Friday. I may be able to check for PMs and reviews and stuff, because they have internet connection, but I will not be able to update because all my stories are on my netbook and I won't be taking it with me. **

**And I won't be PMing every day either. I want to have a break from FanFiction and spend time with the family (I know... I probably sound crazy :P) So, some of you I may talk to during the week, but most of you I will see when I get back!**

**Review! :D**


	5. You Filthy Cavorter!

**Hello, my lovelys. I'm ba-ack!**

**Yes, France was brilliant. Thanks for asking. What? You weren't asking? Oh, okay.**

**Well, I am back, as I have said already. And I'm back in the runnings with my stories (Well, most of 'em). I put up a one-shot last night, coz I was stuck with the multi-chapters. But I'm good now :)**

**Okay, so, thanks again to you guys for the reviews. 14 for last chapter. Cheers to all. **

**So, we're back in the recreation swing. This one is based on the first half of, well, figure it out yourselves. The title kinda gives it away, doesn't it? ;)**

**Shout-out to m'lovely Starry'End. She has an awesome new story - 'I'm not who you think I am'. *flips head* Check it out!**

**Okay, to end this annoyingly long AN, I shall do a disclaimer. I realised the other day that I haven't done a disclaimer for this story... oops. But I still don't own SWAC. I also don't own the designers Hollister or Prada. They belong to Prada and... Hollister, I guess? I don't know.**

**See you at the bottom! :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 - You Filthy Cavorter!<strong>

Chad's POV

We, surprisingly, arrive at the mall without a scratch.

Okay, that's kind of a lie. There's no scratch on the car, but at one point I was driving a little too fast down the freeway. Bugs were flying into our faces and some got stuck in Sonny's hair. Note to self – never drive a convertible on the freeway at maximum speed, especially when a girl's there. A very hot girl, at that. Plus, a girl who's judging you, every minute of every day, because she's your biggest rival.

"I think I'll drive us back…" Sonny says, picking the bugs out of her hair with a disgusted look on her face. "That part of the bet is off now."

"Good idea…" I mumble, "I think if I drive anymore, we'll be killed."

"Probably." Sonny says, before she moans and sets her hands down in her lap, "Maybe I'm not as great a driving instructor as I thought."

I bite my lip gingerly. "Yeah… don't quit the day job, Sonshine."

I suddenly feel all hot as I realise I just called her 'Sonshine'… giving Sonny Munroe a nickname? Wow… that was just weird. And I'm not even her boyfriend!

I feel Sonny tense up next to me and realise she feels the same thing. But, she loosens up just as quick, smiling at me, before getting out the car. I follow her out, because I have nothing better to do. I just need to hope and pray no-one sees me with her, or questions will be asked and I won't have the answers for them, and maybe some crazy story will be made up that we're dating. That's the last thing we'd both need, and our cast members would probably kill us!

…My cast! I was so busy with Sonny, I totally forgot about them! Oh my gosh…

Suddenly, my phone gets a text from Tawni Hart herself. Wow. I must be psychic.

_Where are you? __Nico and Grady went 2 ur dressing room and u weren't there! What's going on?_

I gulp, sending a reply saying that I had to go home because I felt ill, so they can continue the day's rehearsals without me. I know I'm lying, but they can't know the truth… that would be a lot of trouble for me. I wouldn't want my friends thinking I'd ditched them for Sonny Munroe!

_What about the plan? We were gonna wreck Sonny!_

_**Not in the mood anymore guys. Feel like ick. And I'm not gonna sink to her level just for some stupid prank. **_

_Awh, ur no fun :( Oh well, see u tomoz._

I put away my phone, turning to Sonny and apologising, and she forgives me instantly with a blindingly-bright smile. She then hands me a bag and stalks off in front of me. Ah… I see. She's making me carry her bags. What am I – Servant For A Day? Fun. Oh well…

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><p>A couple of hours pass and, I hate to say it, but we're having fun. Sure, Sonny has pretty much bought the whole mall and is making me carry stuff like a mule, but we're talking and laughing and, weirdly, bonding. I'm pretty sure I saw her smile at me earlier – not sarcastically, or flirty, or showing off… just a smile. Things are going great.<p>

And then, it all goes wrong.

We're just walking out of the designer Hollister shop; me loaded with Sonny's bags, but still laughing, when I see a familiar group in the distance. I squint to make them out, before gulping when I make them out.

"Crap." I say, hiding my face with a bag, and Sonny blinks.

"What?" She asks.

"Randoms at four o'clock." I say, my voice level dropping.

Sonny looks in the direction I point to, before her eyes open wide.

"Shit." She mumbles, "Whatcha gonna do?"

"Hide…" I say, "I'll take these bags to your car, and then get the heck out of here!"

"Okay…" Sonny says, a sad pout on her lips. No… she can't be sad that I'm leaving… she must just be mad that she has to carry anything she buys now. That's it…

"See you later." I tell her as she heads to a Prada shop. I then stalk back to the entrance of the mall, the bags hiding my face and most of the rest of my body (Yeah, Sonny bought _a lot_). I try to avoid the path that my cast seem to be taking, but it doesn't work.

"Chad?"

I peer over the bags to see them, a few feet away, looking and pointing in my direction, angry looks on their faces. I pick up the pace a little like I didn't hear them, hiding back behind the bags again, but I'm pretty sure I can hear Tawni's heels clicking on the floor behind me. If Tawni's there, so are the others.

I then find a shop with a curtain on the windows, so I hide in there, drawing the curtains and crouching in the window. The clicking outside stops, and I gulp. Attempt to get away – failed.

"Chad?" Tawni asks, and I gulp. One last chance to get myself out of this…

"Uh… Chad es no behind-o ventana…" I say, putting on a lame Spanish accent. "Por favor leave message after the –"

"Chad."

I look up from where I'm crouching to see the whole cast stood there, glaring at me. I smile sheepishly.

"Hey, guys!" I laugh, getting up, "What are you guys doing at the mall?"

"We came here after rehearsals," Nico says, "Because we couldn't do all of the sketches because you were 'sick at home'." He puts air-quotes around the last words sarcastically, and I gulp.

"Oh, you think I meant _I _was sick?" I ask, making up a lame excuse, and they nod.

"That's what you said." Zora says.

"No, no, no…" I say, "I said that my _Mom _was sick. Yeah, that's it… and I had to go home to take care of her."

"So what are you doing at the mall?" Tawni asks.

"She… needed tissues." Weak excuse.

"So you came to the _mall_?" Grady asks, and I snort.

"Yeah! She likes the ones from that shop."

They glare at me, stupidfied by my sudden craziness, and I gulp. Boy, I'll be lucky to get out of this one…

At that moment, the sudden whirlwind we all know as Sonny Munroe races in front of me, pushing my friends out of the way, grinning at me and holding a new Prada bag in her hand. Oops… I ran into the shop Sonny came to. I'm dead. D-E-A-D. _Calm down! She hasn't said anything yet! Maybe she won't tell them! _Yeah… yeah, maybe you're right.

"Chad!" She squeals, ear-burstingly loud, "Could you give me my purse? I left it in one of those bags… I have to buy this! And then can you take it back to the car? Thanks – you're the best!"

"Sonny…" I moan, watching the looks of disbelief and realisation show up on my cast's faces. But she doesn't stop. In fact, her voice gets louder.

"I know you're hiding from your cast, but please, just do this one thing for me…"

"Sonny!" I spit, twirling her around. She notices the Randoms stood there and gulps, wincing a little.

"Oh…" She says, turning back to face me, the look of innocence on her face, "My bad! I'll leave you guys alone…"

I hand Sonny her purse, pinching the bridge of my nose and shaking my head in annoyance and embarrassment. _Well, that didn't turn out right. _No duh.

"Well, well, well…" Tawni tutts, "Is this what I think it is? Are you two here on a date or something?"

"No!" I yell. Ew… like I'd go on a date with _Sonny_. "It's a long story, but the bet, Musical Chairs, I had to drive her here, convertible, learner's permit, bugs in hair…"

"You're making no sense, Cooper." Zora growls, "Start talking."

I smile falsely, gingerly, trying to make up for this thing that probably looks like betrayal in their eyes. _How are you gonna dig yourself outta this mess, Cooper?_ I have no idea.

"See, this is a funny story…" I say, "And I'm sure we'll be laughing about it in, uh, a few years, maybe…"

"He was just driving me here to make up for the bet." Sonny explains for me. "He had to be my chauffeur for a day, so that's what this is."

"_Sure_…" Tawni grumbles.

"It's true!" Sonny protests, "And he was having fun with me, so back off!"

I roll my eyes up to the ceiling. Great. Sonny had to go and open her mouth, didn't she? Well, now she's dug me an even deeper hole.

"Having fun?" Zora repeats. "He was _having fun _with the enemy!"

"C'mon, guys," Tawni says, "Let's leave Chad with his new _friend_…"

With that, they all walk off, faces like thunder, and I groan. How did it get to this?

Sonny's POV

Oopsies… I've gone and broken up the Random Gang. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it happened, like it or not. The moment the Randoms storm off, Chad leaves, heading a different direction, not talking to me. Uh-oh… maybe I've upset him?

Well, this whole thing wasn't entirely my fault, and I don't care about the Randoms, so what have I got to worry about here? It's not like I'm concerned. Nope, I don't care about anything. Duh, I'm Sonny Munroe.

And… maybe this will be good for me. Ever since Chad joined So Random, their show has got more popular. Maybe, just maybe, if Chad and the other Randoms fell out, they wouldn't do as well on the show, and maybe Chad would even quit the show and not be friends with those losers and maybe come over to Melody Falls to be with me… hey, a girl can dream. And by _that_, I meant with me on the show, because he's an annoyingly good actor and would make our show even more amazing than it currently is…

Yeah. That's what I meant.

* * *

><p>So, I walk into the studio the next day with a plan. I'll tempt Chad over to Melody Falls, making us look like his friends, and then him and the Random Gang will have a fall-out, he'll come here for a shoulder to cry on, and then victory will be ours!<p>

I see Chad that moment, walking slowly, aimlessly, and walk up to him with a big smile on my face.

"Chad!" I grin. "Hey there!"

"Hi Sonny." He smiles a little, and I continue with my plan. Ha. This is gonna be perfect…

Chad's POV

The next day, I walk into the studio with a sheepish look on my face, cowering a little. I silently beg to myself that my friends aren't ones to hold a grudge. Then again, this rivalry has been going on for two years… I'm doomed.

"Chad!"

I turn to the direction of the person who called my name, to see a smiling, yet a slightly apologetic Sonny Munroe heading my way.

"Hey there!"

"Hi, Sonny." I say, smiling a little. At least she's still being friendly.

"Are you okay? After all that craziness yesterday, I didn't get a chance to apologise for what happened with your cast."

"It's okay." I shrug, "It wasn't your fault."

Sonny sighs in relief, "I'm glad to hear that." She says, "I felt bad."

I smirk, "Sonny Munroe, feeling bad? Did you hit yourself on the head with that new Prada bag?"

She rolls her eyes, "Haha, you're a funny little comedian, aren't you?"

"It's my job." I wink, before sighing a little. "That is, if my cast hasn't fallen out with me and asked to get me kicked off the show."

Sonny's brow crinkles in surprise. "Why would they do that? You're so talented, and you make their show more popular," She grabs my hand softly, before removing it as if it had never happened, "And they're your friends, right?"

"I suppose." I say, "But you saw them yesterday… they were so mad at me. I called each one of them last night – they all ignored me."

"Aw…" She pouts, "Poor baby…"

I blink. "Baby?" I then decide to mock her saying, "Really, Sonny? Really?"

"Hey!" She moans, "Watch it – that line's mine."

"Is it, Sonny?" I continue to mock, "Is it really?"

"Yes, it is." She says, stepping uncomfortably close. I try not to notice it. "Really."

"Well then, fine." I say.

"Fine." She retorts.

"Good."

"Good." She smirks a little, before taking a step backwards, and I suddenly feel like I can breathe again. "So, what are you gonna do?" She asks, clearing her throat a little.

I shrug, "Beg for their forgiveness?" I suggest, "It's the best I can do."

"Or…" She says, a smile creeping on her lips. "You could come to the Falls for a little while, to let them cool down a bit. When you're ready, you can go back to Chuckle City!"

I roll my eyes at her little nickname for So Random, before sighing. "I don't know, Sonny…"

"Please?" She pouts, "Pllleeeeaaaassseee?"

I roll my eyes, "Fine."

"Fine." She smirks.

"Do we have to do this again?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

* * *

><p>"Whoa…" I utter, as the door is opened for us into Stage 2, and my jaw falls open. This place is luxury! I suppose this is what you get for being the number one tween show.<p>

"Surprised, huh?" Sonny smirks, taking two smoothies, handing one to me before swirling the concoction around with the little umbrella thing.

"You bet." I say, "This place is awesome!"

"Well, the number one show does get the number one perks." She points out, taking a seat on a lounge chair and patting the space next to her, urging me to sit down. So I do so. Sonny smiles at me happily and something tells me that right now, one of three things is happening. One – Sonny's gone mad or is unwell. Two – she's plotting against me and any minute now one of her cast members will pop up behind me and pour chicken feathers and fish guts over my head. Or three – Sonny really is a changed girl and is caring for me.

Well… she sure seems pretty healthy. And I'm pretty certain that she hasn't gone insane either. I then look behind the couch… nope, no evil Dramas with fish gut buckets. Hmm… maybe it's number three, and she really is caring. In that case, I guess I should be grateful. And also careful, just in case I'm wrong… but seriously, maybe Sonny has changed. Maybe she respects me now. And that's awesome.

Sonny's POV

So far, Chad's buying it. He seems a little suspicious of my sudden change in character, but he believes it. See? I am a great actress. The greatest actress of my generation, for that matter.

It's annoying that some people ruin it.

"Sonny!" A voice yells, and I turn to see Chastity, the girl who plays my best friend in the show. "We need you for rehearsals… what is _he _doing here?"

I look beside me, to where I see Chad has stood up, and Chastity has noticed him_. Uh-oh… it's okay, Sonny. Improvise._ I put an arm around Chad, grinning.

"He's just hanging out!" I say, "His cast are being meanies, so I thought I'd lend him a shoulder to cry on…" I then lean closer to her and add with a whisper, "Play along. I'll explain later."

"Oh…" She says, before looking up, smiling at Chad. "Hey there, Chuck!" She smiles. I roll my eyes. Some people never learn…

"No, Chas, silly!" I laugh, elbowing her a little, "It's _Chad_, duh! Chad Dylan Cooper – the funniest guy on So Random!"

Chad chuckles next to me. "Are you sick, Sonny?" He asks.

"No!" I laugh, "I've always thought that!"

Chad smiles a little, "Oh… well, thanks!"

"Sorry to hear about the Randoms…" Chastity continues, "That's just awful of them to be mean to _you_, of all people!"

"Seriously," Chad says, "Am I asleep or something? Or have you two genuinely gone mad?"

I smirk, trying to stop myself from laughing at his naïve-ness. "No, buddy!" I say, slapping him lightly on the chest. I gulp when I feel the abs on his chest and try to tell myself not to sweat from embarrassment or attraction. So he has abs, so what? Lots of hot guys have abs… and no, I did not just call Chad 'hot'. Don't be ridiculous.

"Okay…" Chad says. I place my elbow back on his shoulder. I blink when I feel that his shoulder is hot and sweaty, and I feel slightly more comfortable to realise that Chad is just as anxious… warm as I am. Maybe someone should turn down the heater…

"Just stick with us, Chaddyo," I wink, "You'll have a blast."

I move my arm from his shoulder to his back, wrapping loosely around him and leading him to the Falls Lounge. He seems puzzled, but so much so that he doesn't have the words to question it. I grin at him and he smiles back, sheepishly, before facing straight forward, avoiding eye contact with me. But I can tell by that look he gave me that he's falling for it. I shoot Chastity a look over his shoulder that says that he's putty in our hands. She nods, smirking a little, before turning back to face him, smiling flirtatiously.

"You look really cute today, Chaddy." She says to him. That's when I start to hate her. _Nobody_ flirts with Chad Dylan Cooper in front of my face…

Only because I'd make a much better flirter, when it comes to Chad.

Yup. It's all an act.

* * *

><p><strong>Finished :D <strong>

**Review!**


	6. The Truth Behind The Act

**Hey there, guys! It's me! I know, right? Super-quick update. **

**I actually had half of this chapter written when I updated last time, so all it took was two hours writing and editing earlier this afternoon. And now I thought I'd stop waiting and just bring you the chapter already. **

**I feel like dedicating... now, I don't know if this person reads this story - 'rEd RoSe-StArFiRe-RoSeFiRe', but she has some awesome stories, like Words and Strangers Dancing On A Summer Night... she has an amazing writing style! So, yeah, go and R&R her stories, it'll be worth it. :D **

**Well, I suppose I've kept you waiting long enough (ha, yeah right. Only three days :P) so let's get on with the chapter!**

**...After this. I don't own Sonny With A Chance. That belongs to Disney. Yup. Okay, chapter time! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 - The Truth Behind The Act<strong>

Tawni's POV

The day after we saw Chad with Sonny in the mall, everyone's in a sour mood. I guess we just all can't believe that Chad; Chad Dylan Cooper, our lovable, innocent newbie, was hanging out with Sonny; Sonny Munroe, the evil, manipulative witch. Huh… maybe she hypnotised him to do anything she says? Like that Imperius Curse on Harry Potter, where the victim is placed totally in the control of the spell-caster person (Okay, so I watch Harry Potter. Problem? No, didn't think so).

We're all now sat in the Prop House, minus Chad, bored out of our heads because we can't start rehearsal until he arrives. I look around the room, aimlessly. Nico and Grady are playing video games (surprise, surprise), and Zora is stood in her sarcophagus, although the door is wide open, and she is stood still, looking bored to tears. In fact, she looks half asleep. I sigh, before getting out my little pocket mirror and checking on my make-up. I then suddenly let my mind wander.

What could've happened to Chad? Maybe he was telling the truth about his Mom and seriously can't come in today? Or maybe he's running a little late because of traffic. Or maybe he's not here because he doesn't want to see us. Maybe, just maybe, when we were mad at him, we scared him away? Maybe he's turned his back on us and joined the dark side, aka Melody Falls?

…Na; that would be stupid. Chad's a smart, forgiving… sweet, good-looking guy (tell anyone I said that, and you're dead) – he wouldn't have run away and joined the Dramas just coz we upset him a little!

…Would he?

* * *

><p>After explaining my theory to the others, we run straight to Melody Falls, where once we get past security, we can't believe our eyes. Chad is laughing, sitting, drinking smoothies… with the Dramas.<p>

…Damn them. Damn them all. They've gone, taken our new guy and stolen him from me… _us_. I didn't say me. Nope.

A few seconds later, Sonny gets up, along with a couple of the girls, telling Chad they'll be right back, and he smiles that happy, innocent smile that I've fallen… uh, ouch! Yeah, I fell and hit my ankle. I wasn't gonna say that I'd fallen for that smile! Don't be stupid.

I watch the girls walk off, listening to what they're saying. I decide to follow them, just to eavesdrop a little. So I leave the others beside the chocolate fountain they're all so impressed by, sneaking stealthily behind a wall, where I can just about hear the conversation.

"Why do we have to do this?" One of the other girls, Marta, asks Sonny, who has her hands on her hips.

"It's all part of my little plan to keep our show on top." Sonny says, almost whispering. I blink. _Plan? On top?_

"But it's stupid." The other girl, Chastity, says. "I'm bored of being nice to the new guy."

"Huh, really?" Sonny asks, her face tightening a little, "Because I'm pretty sure you were having fun earlier when you were _flirting _with him."

_Flirting? With Chad? Oh no she didn't…_

Chastity smirks a little. "Why do you bring that up, Munroe?" She asks, "You jealous?"

Sonny bursts out laughing. "Jealous? That you're flirting with _Chad_? Don't be stupid, Chas."

I smirk a little. It's funny to see Sonny Munroe jealous. In fact… I don't think it's ever been seen!

Chastity laughs a little. "You know, Sonny, you're good at playing characters." I snort. _As if…_ "But you're terrible at playing yourself."

Sonny's eyes widen, "Um, excuse me?"

"You heard me." Chastity growls, "I know you like Chad. It's _obvious_. My flirting with Chad was all an act to go along with your stupid little plan, but your flirting, my friend, was real."

Sonny gasps, smacking Chastity around the face. I try hard not to laugh. _Bitch fight!_

"You listen to me," Sonny says, lowering her voice a lot and stepping closer to Chastity in a threatening way, "I am not, and never will be, in love with that little blonde naïve newbie – get _that_ into your head. This is all business – once Chad has a fall-out with his silly little Random friends, he'll be sad and vulnerable, and that's when we adopt him as our own. That means no more high ratings for So Random because the source of their sudden good ratings will be mine… I mean ours. You get that?"

I gasp, taking a step back, stumbling a little but luckily making no noise. Sonny is trying to steal Chad away from us! I've gotta warn the others, and Chad!

I run back to the chocolate fountain that I left the others at, panting a little.

"Guys, we have a huge problem!" I say, trying not to talk so loud as to alert the Dramas that we're here.

"What is it?" Nico asks, turning around as well as Grady and Zora and I roll my eyes to see their faces are all covered in chocolate. _Pigs_… that's why I'm glad to have Chad around. He's a proper gentleman (Damn it! You'd better not tell anyone that either!)

"It's Sonny," I continue, "She's trying to get on Chad's good side and convince him to hate us so that he'll leave So Random for Melody Falls and our ratings will drop!"

The others gasp, dropping their marshmallows on chocolate-covered sticks, before they all begin to ask me random questions at the top of their voices. I roll my eyes. Idiots…

"Shush!" I whisper-yell, "We _need _to talk to Chad, make him see that Sonny's using him!"

"Guys?"

A voice suddenly comes from behind me, and I turn to see Chad, stood there, the picture of innocence. Only one thing causes the large knot in my stomach though – he's wearing a pink and black striped tie, a blue shirt, a blazer and beige trousers. Also known as – the Melody Falls uniform. My mouth falls open at the sight of it, and I tell my inner thoughts to shut up when they say that Chad looks cute in it. _No-one_ can make the Melody Falls uniform cute. Even Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Hey!" He smiles when he sees us, "What are… what are you guys doing here?"

"We came looking for you…" I confess, but I'm too distracted by the fact that Chad, _our_ new guy, is wearing the uniform of the _enemy_. "…Why are you wearing that?"

"Oh…" Chad looks down to himself, straightening his blazer and surveying his outfit with a grin, "Sonny let me try it on. It belonged to one of the old cast members and we were having a joke that it might belong to me some day… funny, huh?"

I growl. Of course… _Sonny_. Sonny was trying to convince him he'd look good in a Melody Falls uniform. This must be more about her plan, which, I guess, I should be telling Chad about right now.

"_Hilarious." _I comment through my teeth. "Um, listen, about Sonny…"

"What?" He asks, and I sigh. Poor guy doesn't have a clue on what I'm about to say.

I gulp. Guess it's now or never… "Sonny's only being nice to you so that her show stays number one."

Chad blinks, as if he can't quite believe it. Ugh… she's already converted him to the dark side…

"W-what do you mean?" He asks, with the look of a sad-lost puppy, and I feel like I've just kicked him.

I sigh. "Sonny is only being nice to you because she wants you to bond with the Dramas and fall out with us… so you'll quit So Random and our ratings will drop."

I regret saying that straight away, because Chad suddenly gains the look of about a hundred emotions – shock, confusion, distrust, anger… and it's pretty obvious he doesn't believe me.

"Where did you hear that?" He asks, his voice sounding hurt and confused, like he's trying to trust my words but he can't bring himself to.

"I heard Sonny talking with Marta and Chastity. She said something about a plan to stay on top." I confess sadly, because I really don't like seeing that sad look on his face. Now I know how Sonny felt when she shoved that puppy and ended up being named as 'America's Most Hated Puppy Shover". Or maybe she didn't feel this way – Sonny wouldn't care if she upset her own best friend, let alone a random puppy. Trust me – I know.

Chad groans, pinching the bridge of his nose angrily, before looking back up at me. "Is this another thing about this stupid rivalry? How they think they're better than us, so you're just saying this to make sure I don't switch sides?"

"No, it's not!" I say, "It's true, I swear!"

"Tawni, this is ridiculous!" He says, "Why would Sonny do that? I mean, just… why?"

"Because she's afraid that we'll beat them to number one show because of you, because our ratings have gone up since you arrived."

He runs his hands through his blonde hair in frustration, muttering something under his breath. "I don't believe this…" He says, "I don't believe _you_… you're… you're just jealous that I've actually found comfort in the Falls after how you and the others treated me yesterday!"

I gasp. He actually thinks this is because of what happened yesterday?

"And maybe you're also jealous that I'm hanging out with your ex-best friend!"

I gasp again. How dare he refer to my ex-friendship with Sonny! How dare he!

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" I yell. There's no way I'd be jealous of _Sonny_. Sure, Chad seems way more attracted to Sonny, and he's on her side right now, but who cares? I don't even give a damn if Chad likes Sonny. That filthy back-stabbing cavorter… and after how he said back there, about me and Sonny being best friends… that's just the icing on the cake.

"You know what, Tawni?" Chad growls, and I feel a piercing pain in my stomach. I've never seen Chad like this… I don't think any of us have. Until now. "I don't care what you think, okay? Sonny's not using me – she's being sweet and kind and welcoming… which is more than you've been! You've wanted to get rid of me since the moment I arrived at So Random! I mean, God, what did I ever do to you that made you want me gone, huh?"

"I never wanted you gone!" I yell. I then notice that the Dramas have showed up, and are watching us over Chad's shoulder. I'm so mad though, I don't really care. And if they wanna throw us out after this, who cares? Not me, definitely – I can't stand being this close to those best friend-stealing, Chad-hypnotising, drama weasels.

"Oh, really, Tawni? Really?" Chad asks, and I groan. Great! Now he _sounds_ like Sonny! He really is too far-gone to save…

"Really." I say.

"Then why were you so hostile to me?" Chad asks, his eyes full of fury, so much so I swear I can see them glistening with tears of anger. I know mine are for sure. My palms start to sweat and that's when I realise that this is it. I have to tell him the truth about why I was so hostile towards him that first day, and ever since.

It's because I had, and still have, a little bit of a crush on him.

I know… crazy, right? Tawni Hart… having a crush on someone? Just weird…

I go to tell Chad the truth, but then I notice the Dramas over Chad's shoulder, watching, waiting, with smirks on their faces. Except Sonny. She's glaring at me, like she knows what I'm gonna say, and doesn't like it.

And then I look behind me, to my friends. I also, strangely, have a weird crush on Nico, and have since before I even knew Chad Dylan Cooper. I know I shouldn't like him, because we're two completely different people… but I kinda do. But I don't think he likes me back. And for that, I'm kind of glad. That means I could still go out with Chad. Or I could, if he didn't hate my guts right now, and have a crush on Sonny Munroe.

I honestly don't know what's going on. My head suddenly starts spinning, and I feel like I can't control myself. I suddenly go all shy when Sonny snakes her arms around Chad's waist, reeling him in close, and I feel a jealousy knot the size of a hamster in my stomach. I try not to let it show on my face though.

"Is everything okay, Chad?" Sonny asks him, and I see a sad look on his face. It's obvious he wanted me to say something, but the moment's passed now. Too late.

"Everything's fine." He says, not taking his eyes off of me. He scans me, like he's disappointed with me. Either for whatever this whole crazy fight or for not telling him what was bugging me so much.

"What did I tell you?" Sonny whispers into his ear, and I feel more and more sick with every word. "These Randoms are just gonna bring you down. Stick with us, yeah?"

Chad pauses, looking down to his shoes, like he's trying to make a decision on whether to come back to us or stay with Sonny and the Dramas. I think it's pretty obvious that he'd rather the second though. I growl. Why is he trying to spare my – our – feelings when he knows that he'd rather be with Sonny the Witch Munroe?

"Yeah, stick with the Dramas." I say spitefully to Chad, "They'll turn you into a proper little jerk. Although, that probably won't take long – you're already half-way there."

_Whoa… harsh._ It's obvious everyone else thinks that too – especially Chad. Too late though – it's out, and I wish I'd never thought it.

Chad scans me, angrily, before turning around and walking off, Sonny hanging around his neck. She gives me one last look as she rounds the corner, a look that says "I win again", before whispering something to Chad. He laughs. I start to wish he'll turn back, say something, do something, but he doesn't. He just keeps on walking.

I watch him go, knowing it's all my fault he's gone but not wanting to truly admit it to anyone. I watch them round a corner into the room next door, before storming out of the set, trying to stop the tears even though it's too late.

"Tawni!"

I hear footsteps behind me, the footsteps of my cast, chasing after me. Nico gets to me first. He twirls me round as I try to wipe the tears from my eyes that I don't want anyone to see.

Too late.

"What are you doing?" Nico asks, "We can't just let Chad go off with those drama jerks…"

"Oh, give it up, Nico!" I yell, my voice cracking a little in the middle, making me sound like an emotional wreck. "He's gone, okay? And we're not getting him back! And it's all my fault…"

"It's not…" Grady shrugs from behind Nico, as he and Zora catch up to us. "We were all pretty harsh to him yesterday."

"But did you not see what just happened?" I ask, "I was so mad that Sonny was gonna win again that I just blew my top, hurt Chad's feelings, and now he's gone."

I see the looks on each of their faces turn sour, sad, and they all sigh, pushing past me, heading back to our set. I look back to the Melody Falls stage door, scowling at the face of Sonny Munroe on the door, before turning and walking away, back to So Random.

Chad's POV

"I love you, Melody, but I don't know if I can do this anymore…"

I'm sat in a random director's chair that the Falls kids found for me, watching their rehearsal, trying to get the memories of earlier out of my head. Tawni was just so… mad, so upset. I was trying to believe what she was saying, but after yesterday it just seemed like she was jealous I was getting on with Sonny and her cast.

I'll admit, it was probably really awkward for them to see me wearing the uniform of their worst enemies, so I understand that. But still… I just think that she made up that whole story because she was jealous.

But then… why would she make up a story like that? What kind of friend would make up a story like that? Exactly – none. So maybe she wasn't lying.

However… Sonny has really been nice. Like… out of character nice. Either she's a really good actress and Tawni was right about the whole thing, or she is really being nice to me. I have felt welcomed in Melody Falls, maybe even more than in So Random. But then… thinking of that just makes me more suspicious that Tawni was right.

I don't know… I'm just so confused.

"I know I've taken you from your world, your friends… from everything you've made for yourself back there…" I hear Sonny say in the mists of my daydream, and I suddenly get reality and imagination mixed up in my head, "…But trust me, you'll be happier here." Yep. She's talking to me. "You trust me, don't you?" She asks.

"I honestly don't know…" I say in my daydream, but when a bell goes off and a man yells "Cut!" I realise that what Sonny was saying were lines in her show. Oops.

Sonny glares at me a little. "Don't talk while I act." She says, before giving me a wink and turning back to face other actor, Ferguson, who plays Trevor, Melody's love interest. I decide to just stay quiet and watch the rehearsal, or who knows what stupid things I'm gonna blurt out? Na, I'd rather just shut up.

* * *

><p>Their rehearsals are over with sooner than expected (daydreaming really does pass time), and so I get out of the director's seat and head to the Falls' Lounge. Sonny and some of the cast members are already there, so I guess I can talk to them about what's going on.<p>

I approach the Lounge, and I can hear Sonny before I can see her. She's laughing with another one of her cast mates, about what I don't quite know.

"I can't believe it was that easy!" I hear Marta laugh, and I groan. I don't much like Marta – sure, Sonny's bad, but Marta's a close second.

"I know!" Sonny snickers, "He sure fell for it!"

I blink. _Who fell for what?_

"I think we got a hand from his stupid blonde friend though…" Marta points out. _Who are they talking about? _"She pretty much scared him off! And I was getting sick and tired being nice to that guy…"

I suddenly feel a stabbing pain in my chest. Are they talking about me…?

"Well, it doesn't matter now." Sonny says, "The Randoms have surely blown their friendship with Chad and there's no way he's gonna go back. Which means we're staying on top. Go on, admit it – my plan has worked."

I feel a stinging sensation in the back of my eyes, and then wipe it away, angry. Tawni was right… Sonny was just being nice to me to get me on her side. And now I've had a fall-out with the Randoms she just expects me to roll over and quit So Random for her show? Ha! Fat chance now.

"Sonny?" I ask, coming out of my hiding place, and both Sonny and Marta jump up from where they were sat to face me, red-faced, guilty. They try not to let it show though.

"Hey, Chaddy!" Sonny grins, putting an arm on my shoulder in that way I'd grown fond of in the last couple of days. Not anymore.

"What were you guys talking about?" I ask, deciding to play the innocent game.

"Just how awesome we think you are!" Sonny says with a grin, before turning to her friend, "Right, Marty?" I have to hold in a laugh at that nickname.

"Right…" Marta says, sounding less sure than Sonny.

"Oh, really?" I ask, and Sonny nods, making her hair bounce. "So, you were talking about how awesome I was when I _fell out _with the Randoms?"

Sonny's eyes widen in shock, and Marta rolls her eyes as if to say "busted". Yes, Marta, busted indeed.

"What?" Sonny asks, patting me on the back in fake support, "No! Where did you get _that_ idea?"

"From when you were talking about how the Randoms had "blown their friendship" with me and that I was never gonna go back to So Random… like you _planned_."

Sonny gulps, realising she's busted, before trying to win me back by nudging my arm in a friendly gesture, but I don't even crack into a smile, crossing my arms and glaring at her.

"C'mon… Chad, buddy!"

"You're not my 'buddy'." I say, "You were just pretending to be."

Sonny growls, finally accepting that the act is up. "Fine," She says, "I _was_ just pretending… but you did fall for it."

"Not anymore," I say, "I'm going back to my _real _friends."

"Fine!" She growls.

"Fine!" I retort, backing towards the door, taking the Melody Falls tie from around my neck off and dropping it on the ground.

"Good!"

"Good!" I finish, before taking a smoothie from the tray on the side and winking to Sonny. "Imma take this as a gift for our ever-lasting _friendship_."

I wink at her and slurp the smoothie a little before walking out with a sarcastic snort, leaving a very peed-off Sonny Munroe behind me. Wow… I think Sonny just saw the side of me no-one else has seen before… even me – the sarcastic jerk. Huh… maybe I should use him more often when I'm dealing with Sonny…

* * *

><p>I arrive back at the So Random set, wandering straight back to the Prop House, where my friends are all sat around, laughing, talking. The mood goes flat and the air goes silent when I enter, and everyone looks my way. I've dumped the rest of the Melody Falls outfit in mine and Tawni's dressing room since leaving, but I can't do the same with the betrayal.<p>

"Hi guys…" I say, trying to smile at them. They all look at me, scan me, and I start to feel sick. What if they can't forgive me for the treachery?

It isn't long before I eat those words, and am squashed in a huge group hug. Sure, it's a little awkward – I may be the nice guy, but I'm not a hugger – but it's nice. It shows that they forgive me.

I then look past the pairs of arms to see Tawni in the background, not part of the hug. Tawni… I betrayed her the most. I hate myself for that stupid fight between us. I said some things I regret, and I think she did too. But I see the look on her face as she smiles gingerly, yet kindly, and I realise she feels the same way.

"Come here." I say, motioning her to join the hug and she grins, joining in.

"I still hate you, ya know." She says, and I laugh.

"I didn't know you hated me in the first place."

"Well, I do."

I smirk, remembering that sarcastic jerk from earlier with Sonny and saying, "Do you, Tawni? Do you really?"

She rolls her eyes, "You've spent way too much time with Sonny." She giggles.

It isn't long before all of us, a bundle of legs and arms and funniness, fall onto the couch, laughing, and it feels like nothing bad happened in the first place.

Trust me – that's the last time I'll believe Sonny Munroe on anything. I guess the truth behind Sonny is that she's just a heartless, selfish girl with no regard for anyone else's feelings. I'd like to think that that isn't the whole of Sonny's personality, though, and she has a different side to her – a sweet, caring, kind side.

Well… tell me if you see it, coz I don't think it's possible.

Sonny's POV

I watch Chad go with a frown on my face. So… my plan failed. Chad has gone back to the Randoms and his precious comedy show. Pfft, like I care! I mean, I don't even like the guy, so to be honest, I'm glad to see the back of him!

"Aww… there goes your little boyfriend." A voice says, waking me from my daydream, and I turn to see Marta looking at me with a sympathetic smirk (is that even possible?).

"Pfft!" I laugh, "Chad's _not _my boyfriend."

"But you want him to be." She says, winking. "Face it – you like Chad. I saw that look you gave him earlier – you like him."

"I don't, damn it!" I yell, "The guy's so not my type – he's just so annoyingly kind, caring, sensitive… sweet…" I notice the smirk forming on Marta's lips and growl. How I hate it when that girl's right. Okay, so I do like Chad. Maybe… not that I'd let anyone know that – especially Marta.

"I hate that in a guy." I continue, and she chuckles.

"My dear Allison…" She says, "I know you like him, okay? You're not that good an actress." _Oh no, she didn't._ "Just don't be an idiot." She continues, "He's our enemy, and you'd better not fall for him or your little reputation of being a bad girl is gonna be dead."

"Don't worry about me, _Marty_." I say bitter-sweetly, "I'm _not _gonna be falling for that _Random_."

"Sure…" She says, winking at me before walking back to her dressing room, and I pull a face at her back.

I hate that girl… I just _hate _how _right _she is. That stupid plan wasn't _just _to keep the Falls on top… it was also so I could spend time with Chad… but tell anyone that and I'll break your nose. I'm serious – I may not be tough, but I'm more than average strength. When you've grown up the way I have, you learn to fend for yourself.

Where was I again? Oh yeah, Chad. Sure, I think he's _cute_, but trust me – that won't develop into anything more, not that he or his cast would allow it to anyway.

Nope, I'm fine with crushing quietly on the cute Random from a distance.

"Sonny! You're needed for a scene in five." The familiar voice of Chastity Ann DeWitt calls to me.

Ah, yes. Rehearsal. "On my way!" I yell. At the last moment, I notice the tie Chad was wearing earlier, the one that he threw to the ground when he was leaving. I pick it up, smiling a little, before heading to the set.

* * *

><p><strong>Heehee, there you go. I think you guys will like that ending, after a very Chawni-filled chapter *shudder*. I know. Chad-Sonny-Tawni love triangles are just GROSS. Yeah... I'm not a Chawni fan. Duh.<strong>

**So... update? I think it was just coz I didn't wait for very long, but we didn't get as many reviews last time. Thanks m'dears :D**

**And I've finally decided to sign out with my name. So, for those of you who didn't know my name...**

**~Amy.**


	7. The Mystery Of Erica

**Hey there! It's me!**

**So, new chapter, which lacks Chawni, luckily. I know you guys will be glad to hear that, since I think we're all Chawni haters. **

**So... I have some review replies to get through!**

**la de da - I know, it did sound like Selena. I wrote it and then realised, but I didn't want to delete it. **

**Emily - I LOVE your idea! I was planning on doing something like that, but you've helped me a lot by figuring out how it'll all play out! Thank you so much! And everyone else, if you haven't already read her idea, DON'T! It'll ruin it! LOL ;) **

**Now, this chapter is based on You've Got Fan Mail, as asked by la de da. This chapter is for you, sweetie! I found it, meh, a little hard to decide whether to leave Chad's "fan" as a girl or change to a guy, and then I decided to go with a girl. So, anyone who is creeped out by the idea of Chad being a girl... good luck :/**

**Okay then... chapter time? Enjoy the chapter from the story based on the show I don't own.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7-The Mystery Of Erica<strong>

Chad's POV

"Hey there, this is Chad. You've reached me at my new cell phone – 555 0125. I can't answer the phone right now, so you know what to do! …Nope, too perky."

I stroll down the So Random hallway, trying to figure out how I want my answer machine to sound on my new _Hollywood _phone. I got my first pay check the other day, which prompted me to get a new phone where I'd put all my new Hollywood people contacts in, as well as my old Wisconsin friends. Since this means that Hollywood people will hear this machine, I want to get it right.

"Yo, this is CDC. I'm busy right now and can't answer your call, leave a message and I'll get back to you… CDC? That just makes me sound bigheaded." I sigh, pressing the button once more and trying again. "Hi! You've just called Chad Dylan Cooper… duh, they know that. Hey, you've reached…"

"Chad!"

A voice calls my name from behind me, and I turn to see Tawni running my way.

"I have _awesome _news!" She grins. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Awesome news for you, or for me?" I ask.

"For both of us!" She grins, "Your new dressing room is finally ready! At long last, I've got my own dressing room again! Hallelujah!"

She throws her arms up in the air in relief, and I smirk. To be honest, she's not the only one who's happy about this. Honestly, I couldn't be happier to have my own dressing room. It means more privacy, and that I get away from Tawni and her self-obsession. Seriously, when she starts talking to her reflection… you really don't wanna be around…

"That's awesome news." I say, "Where is it?"

"Who cares?" She grins, running down the hallway towards her now empty dressing room, "I get my own room!"

I try not to smirk as she does one of those ballet-like jumps (I don't know the proper term…) before turning and walking to Marshall's office to ask about my room.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, and I dump some of my stuff in the entrance of my room, grinning with glee. This room is even bigger than the last one! There is already some gym equipment in the far corner of the room, along with some of my stuff that I had in Tawni's room – my vanity and chair, my guitar, a pool table that was already in there that Tawni didn't want, all that jazz.<p>

"Cast of So Random to the stage for rehearsal, please. I repeat – cast of So Random to the stage as soon as possible for rehearsals. Thank you." I hear a voice say on the intercom, and so I decide to save sorting out my room till after rehearsals.

I walk out of the dressing room, only to run into two girls – one with a cart, one with a notebook. I recognise them both straight away – the first is the mail girl, the second is little Miss Sonny Munroe.

"Sonny?" I ask, "What are you doing? And why are you doing it here at So Random?"

"Oh," Sonny grins at me, putting an arm on my shoulder. Seriously, is that her thing with me? "I got the role of a mail girl in a movie. It's a small, but key role… so I'm trying to nail the part by following Maria around."

I try to hold in a laugh. "It's Molly."

"Who's Molly?" Sonny asks.

"That would be me." The red-head mail girl sighs, giving me a look that says "Help me… please". I just shrug, sigh, and mouth a sorry, and she groans.

"Well, I'd love to stay and talk some more, Sonny," I lie, "but I have rehearsals to get to."

"That's fine." Sonny says, before turning to Molly and flashing her megawatt smile. "Let's go, Mandy!"

Molly groans, shrugging to me, before turning with her cart and following the over-confident brunette down the hall. I watch them go with a sigh, before heading to the So Random stage.

* * *

><p>I arrive at the stage to see the rest of my cast already there, sat in seats, opening fan mail that I presume Molly and Sonny just delivered. My stomach twists a little. Now that I think about it, I haven't had any fan mail since I arrived here. It's been two weeks… surely something would've arrived for me? No… maybe my fans are haven't had time to write. Or their letters have got lost in the mail. Yeah, that's it. I'm sure there will be a letter sooner or later. For now though, it doesn't bother me.<p>

"Hey, guys." I say, smiling and sitting in one of the spare chairs. "What did I miss?"

"Oh, just the fan mail delivery!" Tawni squeals, and I try to resist the temptation to roll my eyes at her.

"Anything for me?" I ask, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"No." Tawni shrugs, before turning back to her own fan mail, ripping open loudly with a grin. I try not to hate her for getting something that I want though – like I said, it doesn't bother me. So what if no-one's sent me a fan letter yet? It's not like they all hate me… right?

"Don't worry about it, Chad," Marshall says, like he's been reading my thoughts, "Not everyone gets fan mail…"

"Then what's that?" I ask, noticing the letters in his hands.

"Oh… just letters from people I don't know who admire me."

I smile sickly, "That would be fan mail."

This extremely awkward moment hints Marshall to leave. He asks Zora, Nico and Grady to come rehearse a sketch, which annoys me. Why? Because that only leaves Tawni – the one person I do _not _want to talk to about this kind of thing. She's a bragger – she's obviously gonna bug me about it.

"So…" She says, "Tell me, Chad, how does it feel to be disliked by people everywhere?"

This time, I don't resist the temptation and roll my eyes. "People don't hate me…" I say, "Just because I'm not getting fan mail… it's only been two weeks!"

"Huh," Tawni shrugs, "I got my first letter on the second day! Weird…"

I groan. "Look, Tawni, I know what you're trying to do, but I'm not gonna be bugged by this, okay? I'm way too mature for that."

"Is that why you call your Mommy every day?" She asks, bitter-sweetly, and I cringe. I suppose, as my ex-room mate, Tawni was bound to figure out about my Momma's boy secret. Well, that was harder to hide than I expected…

"Don't worry, Chad!" She continues briskly, "I'm sure someday you'll get fan mail like all the rest of us, you know, when you actually _fit_ _into_ the cast."

Ouch. I ignore her spiteful comment, giving her a sarcastic smile, before getting up and asking Marshall if I can be excused from this rehearsal because I don't feel so good. He accepts, and so I head straight to my dressing room.

Okay, so I lied to get out of rehearsal and away from Tawni. So what? It wasn't a total lie – I don't really feel so good. Tawni has made me even more suspicious… what if So Random watchers really do hate me? What if I honestly have _no _fans?

I need to do something about this. I need to prove to Tawni that I have at least one fan out there… just anyone. So what am I meant to do? Go out there and find a fan? Too much effort. Get someone to pretend to be my fan? Too much to ask.

Hold on a second… maybe I'm onto something with this 'pretend to be my own fan' thing. What if I sent myself a fan letter? I could show it off to Tawni to shut her up, and no-one would have to help me. Easy enough!

I grab a piece of paper, placing it on my dressing table, and a pen. With that, I start to write…

"_Hey, Chad…"_

* * *

><p>"<em>My name is Erica and So Random is my favourite show.<em>" I read out to the rest of my cast at the end of the next day's rehearsals, grinning. Somehow, I managed to slip my fake fan note into Molly's cart when she wasn't looking, so I got the letter and am now reading it aloud to my friends… and Tawni. Who, by the way, looks totally annoyed. Ha. that's what you get for picking on Chad Dylan Cooper!

"_I didn't think the show could get any better, but then you joined the cast and totally proved me wrong! I think you are just too cool, super cute and really funy! Also, could you please say hi Nico, Grady, Zora, and Marshall._"

"I get a shout-out!" Marshall grins. I look over each of the looks on my cast's faces, before seeing Tawni's and resisting the urge to smirk. She looks totally peed at the fact that I've got a fan, moreover, one that seems to not like her, because of the no-show on her shout-out.

"Bored already!" She says, putting on a quirky voice that I know is false. She gets up and walks off, along with the rest of the Randoms, to their dressing rooms. Marshall stands up from his chair as I'm just about to leave as well, grinning at me.

"There you go, kiddo!" He says, "I knew you'd get your first fan letter soon enough! You sure deserved it."

I smile, "Thanks, Marshall."

"You're welcome." He says, before grinning like he's just had an amazing idea. "Hey, I know! Why don't we call her?"

"Yeah…" I smile at my situation, before realising what he's just said and shaking my head, "No! We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Marshall asks.

"Coz…" I stutter, "Coz we don't have her number!"

"Yes we do," Marshall says, before showing me the letter, "Her number's right here on the letter."

I then look at the letter and cringe. That's why I found that paper so easily in the mess that is my new dressing room… it's what I wrote my number on so I could remind myself of it. Fantastic…

"But we can't just call people out of the blue like this!" I offer weakly, but Marshall shrugs, calling the number. Then, as suspected, my phone blares out some random Taylor Swift song. Great… now people are gonna know I like Taylor Swift too. This day is really score one for team anti-Chad's reputation.

"Excuse me…" I say bleakly, backing up a little, "I've gotta take this."

"That's' your ringtone?" Marshall asks me, looking my way, confused, and I cringe.

"Yes." I say, hiding my blushes and running off into cover. When I get away from Marshall, in my dressing room, I answer my phone. I then cringe, realising I have to pretend to be a girl here. I try out a high voice, feeling like a total weirdo when the words come out.

"Hey," I say in my girl-voice, before adding, "This is Erica!" just in case my girl voice isn't fooling him. I really hope no-one walks in right now or the tiny ounce of dignity I have left will be shredded. All I know is, if I ever have to play a girl on So Random, I'll probably jump ship. I hate it. Hate it.

"Hey there, Erica!" Marshall's voice says from the other side of the line, "It's Marshall Pike, executive producer of your favourite show, So Random! I have someone here who wants to talk to you!" He then pauses, before saying, "Where's Chad? Chad?"

Oh crap. I throw my phone to the ground, running out of my room and back to where I left Marshall.

"Sorry about that!" I say when I arrive back, my heart beating so hard from all the running I can swear Marshall can probably see it thumping in my chest, "I was hungry, so I went to get a snack."

Marshall nods, before scanning me quizzically, "Then where's your snack?"

"Oh… I already ate it." I offer weakly, "I did say I was hungry!"

"Right…" Marshall says, with a look on his face that makes it obvious that he's not gonna question anymore. "Well, your fan is on the phone, do you want to talk to her?"

"Sure." I say, taking the phone from him and pretending to talk to a girl who isn't actually there. "Hey Erica! Thanks for the letter! …Oh, nothing! Just getting a snack! …Uh-huh… Uh-huh…"

"Oh, I know!" Marshall grins, "Why don't we invite her down to the studio?"

"What?" I groan, "No."

"Oh, I know, you're shy about your first fan. Give me the phone."

He then takes the phone off me and I run off, still trying to make sure my cover isn't blown. I run straight back to my dressing room, pick up the phone and answer it again, panting.

"Hi… sorry… I was just telling my friends that… I was talking to Chad… Dylan… Cooper."

"Well, you can do better than that!" Marshall's voice says over the phone, "How who you like to come meet Chad at the studio?"

"Oh my gosh, that would be awesome!" I say, before realising Erica doesn't exist, "But I can't come… I have a, um, cheerleading tournament… in Florida."

"Oh, well, I'm sure we can wait a little…" Marshall says hesitantly, and I sigh. He's not gonna dump this until I've met myself, is he?

I huff, before putting the phone back up to my ear and saying, "Actually, I can come! See ya then!"

I then hang up the phone with a groan. Okay… now I've gotta go wig shopping. Yippee.

* * *

><p>I arrive at Condor Studios the next day with my outfit all ready in a box. I'll just arrive as Chad, say hi, and then come back to my dressing room and dress up as, shudder, Erica.<p>

The outfit is terrifying girly. But I guess that's what it needs to be to make it convincing. I went with the whole 'cheerleading' thing and found my ex-girlfriend's cheerleader outfit that she gave me before I left to "symbolize our un-dying love". I honestly didn't think it would come in handy, until now. I 'borrowed' some of Tawni's make-up (just a little bit – and definitely not the Coco Moco Cocoa. She'd kill me if I did). I also found a crazy, blonde wig in the So Random costume closet, and flat shoes. There was no way I was gonna wear high heels. I tried on the outfit last night… and I looked ridiculous. The things you do to save your ass in Hollywood, eh?

After I've checked in with Marshall to confirm that 'Chad' is here, I head back to my dressing room and start putting on my Erica costume. Suddenly though, as I'm struggling into the cheerleader outfit that seems to have shrunk in the last few hours, a person bursts into the room, and I gulp as the girl screams. Caught, red-handed.

"Chad?" Sonny Munroe says, looking at me with a crazed look on her face, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm, uh…" I say, before realising I now have to confess to Sonny Munroe my whole dilemma. "It's a long story."

"I've got time," She shrugs, "I was just doing a little delivery of fan mail coz Milky is ill."

"Her name is…" I say, before giving up, "Never mind."

"So, enough about me." She says, "Why are you dressing up as a girl?"

"Well…" I sigh, "I sent myself a fan letter, pretending to be my own fan, and now I'm gonna pretend to be my own fan to avoid studio-wide humiliation!"

"Why would you send yourself a fan letter?" Sonny asks.

"Because I wasn't getting fan mail, so I started to lose faith in myself." I confess. Sonny sends me an apologetic smile.

"That's a classic case of actor insecurity." She says, "It happens with a lot of people in their first few weeks in Hollywood. You start doubting your abilities, wondering if you're actually good enough to be on TV."

"Did it happen to you?" I ask, and she laughs.

"Uh, no, of course not!" She laughs, flipping her hair back arrogantly, "Why would you think _that_? I'm just naturally born for this kinda thing!"

I groan, "You are unbelievable. For one minute we have a moment, and you have to go and ruin it with your bigheadedness and we're back to normal. And I thought I was seeing a different side to you there."

Sonny frowns at this; she looks upset, confused… she almost looks like she's agreeing. That is, until, another voice comes from behind her and she regains her arrogant posture.

"Hey Chad, ready for rehearse… AGH!"

It really doesn't help that this voice is Tawni, and when she notices me, she almost jumps out of her skin.

"Chad…?" She says, before smirking, "Or is it Chelsea or something?"

I groan. _Perfect_. My cast mate thinks I'm a cross-dresser.

"It's Erica, actually." I say with a sarcastic groan. At that moment, she gains the look of realisation.

"Erica?" She asks, "Chad's first fan?" I nod, and Tawni shakes her head. "Okay, I'm confused. Is Erica coming or not?"

"No." I say, wincing, "She's not real."

"I really don't know what's going on here…" Sonny interrupts, "But, Chad? I just came to deliver your fan mail."

"Fan mail?" I ask, sounding like I'd never heard of it before, and at that moment she hands me a thick pile of multi-colored notes, smiling.

"Yeah." She says, "Mindy" _Molly, _"has been giving your mail to Tawni to give to you since you arrived. But since you're here, I'll just give them to you."

I blink. Molly's been giving my mail to Tawni? So… how come I didn't get it?

"Tawni?" I ask, "Have you been hiding my mail?"

Tawni gasps, "How dare you accuse me of that!"

I roll my eyes. I'm not falling for it.

"Fine." Tawni groans when she realises that I've sussed her out, "I have been hiding your mail. Happy?"

"Why?" I ask.

She sighs, "Because you're getting so popular… and I was worried you were stealing my spotlight! Anyway, it doesn't matter now. I'm going to suggest to Marshall that we introduce you _two _on stage tonight, and your little plan will be revealed!"

With a whip of the hair and a flirtatious wink, Tawni leaves the room, and it feels like we never got along in the first place. And I really thought Tawni was changing. Guess not.

"So… what are you gonna do?" Sonny asks me from the doorway, and I sigh.

"What do you care?" I ask, and she shrugs, "I honestly don't know. All I know is tonight is gonna be the most embarrassing night of my life."

And with that, I throw the Erica outfit to the ground and walk out, hoping to stop Marshall from agreeing with Tawni's idea even though I have no chance of succeeding.

Chad Dylan Cooper… the liar? The attention seeker? Is that gonna be my new reputation? All I know is, after tonight, my Hollywood dream will be over.

Sonny's POV

I watch Chad go with a frown. The poor guy… he doesn't deserve this! That roach Tawni is gonna ruin his Hollywood life that he's worked so hard to build since he arrived.

I think back to his words when I asked him what he was gonna do. _What do you care? _Well, to be honest, I don't know. All I know is that I care that Chad is gonna be so embarrassed tonight… unless I have something to do with it. I look to the Erica outfit that's lied on the floor, and I sigh.

"The things I do for you, Chad." I mumble to myself, before getting changed into the costume. I admire my reflection in the mirror – even I make this look good! – before heading to the So Random stage, waiting behind the curtains for the end of the show.

"Well, that's our show everyone!" Marshall Pike calls out a couple of hours later, "But before we say goodnight, we have a very special guest to introduce to you all – the girl who wrote Chad his very first fan letter!"

I peek out of the curtain to see all the Randoms, including Chad, who looks nervous and shaky and sad. I smile. If my plan goes well, that frown won't last long!

"Let's give it up for Erica!" Marshall grins. With that, I head to the back of the stage, behind the curtains where the Randoms are stood, watching carefully.

"Let's get this over with…" Chad sighs, taking the mic from Marshall, "Um, sorry guys, but Erica is…"

This is my time to shine. I step out of the curtains, beaming, before saying, "Your biggest fan!" in a squeaky excited teenage girl voice, and all the Randoms turn to see me. Chad notices me, looking shocked, like he's seen a ghost, before he realises it's me and grins. Tawni, on the other hand, scowls the moment she sees me.

"That's impossible!" She growls, "Erica doesn't exist!"

But I'm standing right here, silly!" I laugh, before taking the mic off of Chad, squealing in a fan-girl way and saying, "Let's give it up for Chaddy!"

An eruption of applause begins across the audience, and Chad turns to me, smiling, before whispering to me. "Why are you helping me?" He asks.

"I'm not helping you." I say, trying to cover up my bad-girl rep. I know if Chad knew I was doing this for him, I'd never hear the end of it. "I just… wanted to kno what I'd look like with crazy blonde hair."

Chad smirks, "It sounds like somebody cares about me…"

"_Somebody_" I interrupt, "wanted to know what she'd look like with blonde hair. I was thinking of dying it, you see."

Chad tries not to laugh, before saying, "Cares,"

"Hair." I counter.

"Cares."

"Hair."

"Hair."

"Cares." I say, before realising what I just said and mentally slapping myself.

"Gotcha!" Chad laughs, before turning back to the audience, taking the mic from me and saying, "Good night, everyone!"

With that, the final curtain goes down, and Chad looks at me with glee.

"Thanks." He whispers, but I don't get a chance to talk to him before I'm crowded by the Randoms and I have to keep up my act for a little longer.

* * *

><p>"Thanks again for that." Chad says as we walk along the So Random corridor to his dressing room, "It was so sweet of you. And nice to know that you care about me." He adds that last bit with a snigger, and I laugh.<p>

"Please, Chad, like I said the whole time, I just wanted to see my hair blonde. Then I thought, hey, why not do a little acting? I wasn't helping you at all."

"Sure…" He laughs, before stopping by a door that says 'Chad' on it. His dressing room. "Well, I guess I'll see you later?" He asks, and I nod. "Oh, and for the record," He says, stopping me from leaving, "The blonde hair looks cute on you, but… you should stick with your normal hair. I totally dig brunettes."

He then kisses me lightly on the cheek, before winking and walking into his dressing room, and I feel a red flush creep up onto my cheeks. I inwardly squeal to myself, before heading down the Melody Falls set to collect my stuff, butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Did I dream that? Or did Chad Dylan Cooper really just kiss _me_?

Heaven.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you go :D I hope that made up for the Chawni-ness of last chapter. I also hope no-one's brains were rotted by the idea of Chad being a girl... shudder...<strong>

**Anyways... review? That would be lovely of you, m'dears :D**

**~Amy x**


	8. The Problem with Numbers

**Hey there, guys! It's me again!**

**I know what you're thinking - "Wow, Amy, super fast update!" Yeah, I know. I'm very proud. **

**Anyway, I'm glad you guys liked the Channyness of last chapter, well trust me. There's more to come! This chapter is based on Cheater Girls, which, I know, Chad is not originally in. But I have somehow fit Sonny into the story. I have also changed it so that there isn't a sketch like Check It Out Girls, because I couldn't think of a sketch Chad could be excited about. So I've changed it a little. Hope you guys like it!**

**I. Don't. Own. Sonny. With. A. Chance. How many times must I torture myself by saying it? :(**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 - The Problem With Numbers<strong>

Chad's POV

"Chad, that was awesome!" Nico laughs as we step off the stage once again, after my fourth So Random show. It's actually getting easier every week, and even more fun! And this was possibly my funniest show too! I was taking part in some awesome sketches, and I got loads of laughs! Honestly, being on this show is the most amazing thing that's every happened to me.

"If you're that funny on the interview on Monday, Chad, America's gonna love you!" Zora tells me with a grin, and I nod, beaming. On Monday, the cast of So Random are having an interview on Good Morning America. It's my first interview, and it's gonna be so exciting!

"You guys think so?" I ask.

"We know so." Grady says, "You're possibly one of the funniest guys we've ever had! I don't think anyone's ever had a five minute stand ovation after the show!"

I hide my blushes, looking over to Tawni, who's rolling her eyes while touching up on make-up.

"Yeah, you're alright." She shrugs, before turning back to her tiny pocket mirror. Ha! Tawni Hart, saying I'm alright? Now, that's a compliment. You know, from Tawni.

"Come on," I say, holding my hand up, "Up top!"

Everyone takes their turns for a high-five, before only Tawni hasn't done it. She looks at me with a bitterly-sweet smile.

"I don't do up tops." She says, "I don't high five, I don't fist pound, and I definitely do not raise the roof." She lifts her hands above her head before dropping them again and going back to her make-up.

"Okay…" I say, before turning to the others, "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then?" I ask, and they all nod, waving me off as I head to my dressing room to get changed before heading home. I'm half-way to my dressing room before being stopped by a nervous-looking Marshall.

"Chad, we have a problem." He says, wiping his sweaty brow with a handkerchief. Poor guy. Stress must get to him.

"What's the problem?" I ask.

"Your mother was just on the phone. She wants to come over to talk about something."

"My mother?" I say. Great. When my Mom wants to talk about something, it usually means I'm in trouble. Which means I'm doomed.

"Oh, this is not good…" Marshall says, wiping his brow once again, before shouting out, "Everyone, listen up! There's a mother on her way here! You need to do everything in your power to…"

"Hello, Marshall." The sarcastically sweet voice of my mother comes from beside Marshall, and he turns to see her, gulping.

"…make sure she isn't just standing there without a coffee!"

Mom smiles at him, nodding, before turning to me.

"Mom!" I smile, putting an arm around her in a welcoming, slightly butt-kissing way. "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm, let's see…" She says, fishing out a piece of paper from her handbag. When I notice it's my report card, I wince. My grades arrived today, on how I'm doing in the studio's school. Something tells me one of them wasn't so good.

"Your grades." She says, "We need to talk about them, now."

* * *

><p>So now I'm sat in Marshall's office, head down, with three pairs of eyes staring at me. One pair threatening, one disappointed, one just playing along with the others.<p>

"So, Chad?" Mom finally says after about five minutes of everyone just staring at each other. It as getting kinda awkward. Heck, it still is awkward! "Do you know why I am disappointed with your grades right now?"

I shrug, pulling the innocent puppy-dog face. It's my only way out of this, coz Mom usually finds it as a total killer. This time though, it doesn't work. She still looks mad.

"Well, I'll tell ya." She says, opening up the paper to reveal a huge red D on my latest geometry test. Oops… I knew I didn't do too well on that test. Now my suspicions have been proved.

"Mom, I say, trying to salvage my way out of this, "You know I've never been good at Math."

"No," She says sternly, "I know you've never been _excellent _at Math. But the lowest you've ever got is a C. I've never seen you do this bad."

I gulp. Okay, there's only one way to get back up from this train-wreck – pull the cutie act.

"Mom…" I say, getting up and putting an arm around her, "Mommy…" I pull a baby face that used to get me out of everything. Y'know, when I was five. Now… not so much. "Mother dearest…" I continue, "I'm sorry but I've just been so focused on the show. But… you can forgive me… right?"

"I can…" She says smiling, "If your grades go back up. You remember what I said before we came here from Wisconsin – grades first, show second."

"But…" I frown, "can't we just swap it for this week? You know – show first, grades second? That okay?"

"No." She scowls, "I want you grades to be good on tomorrow's test, and if they're not, I won't let you do that interview you've been excited about on Monday."

"What?" I yell, moving my arm from behind her back, "Mom, no! It's a whole cast interview – my friends need me! And they said that they thought that America was gonna love me!"

"Well then, that's too bad." She shrugs, "I want your grades to improve, or else."

"They will," I say, "Promise."

* * *

><p>"So…" Tawni says to me the next day, the day of the test, whilst she fluffs her hair in the mirror of her dressing room. She called me here for an 'emergency meeting', because of my whole Math dilemma. "You promised your Mom that you'd improve your grades and not let her down."<p>

"Yup." I say, and she groans.

"You stupid boy!" She says, "What happens if you don't pass, huh? You won't be able to do the interview."

"You think I don't know that?" I say, "Please don't put a damper on me… and why do you care anyway?"

"Because it's a whole cast interview… how stupid are we gonna look when we turn up with four of the five members?"

Well, she has a point. "Are you saying that you need me?" I ask with a smirk, just to annoy her, and she rolls her eyes.

"No." She says, "But I am going to do something I've never done and help you pass this test."

"Really?" I smile, and she nods.

"Up top!" She laughs, raising her hand. I grin and do the same, before she grabs my hand and starts writing on it.

"Wait… what are you doing?" I ask, pulling my hand away from her, and she smiles at me.

"I don't know what you call it in your little cheese state," She says, "But here in America, we call it cheating!"

"Cheating?" I repeat.

"Yes, cheating!" She says, "It's fun! Try it…"

"No!" I say, moving my hand away from her pen, "I'm not gonna cheat! I've never cheated before in my life!"

"So, how are you supposed to pass the test later?" She asks.

"I'll just…" I pause, thinking, "I'll get a tutor!"

* * *

><p>"Why would I help you?" Sonny asks me as I follow her around the Melody Falls set, begging for her to tutor me. I know – why would I be asking Sonny Munroe for help? Well, she and Zora were the only ones who got A's on that test, and Zora was busy taking care of her snake, so I've had to come ask Sonny. I wouldn't expect Sonny to be good at Math, but apparently she is. So that's my plan – beg for her help and hope she accepts. So far, it ain't going too well.<p>

"Please, Sonny, I need your help!" I beg. I know – begging for Sonny Munroe's help is low. But I need this – the test is in three hours. If I don't pass, I'm doomed! Yeah, I little dramatic. I guess that's what the Falls does to ya.

"Why should I help you?" She asks, and I groan. This girl's tough.

"Because you're an A student and I really need someone to tutor me or I can't make it to the cast's interview on Monday."

"Hmm…" She says, "You won't make it to an interview? Well, that would be good for me, wouldn't it? I mean, you and your show would get less press, which means more press for me over at your rival show!"

I growl, "Please, Sonny? Please?"

"Fine." She groans, "I'll do it."

"Thanks." I smile.

"Just…" She lowers her voice, "Don't tell anyone. I can't have anyone knowing I helped a Random!"

"Fine." I say.

"Fine." She teases, and I laugh.

"Good." I say.

"Good."

* * *

><p>"Okay, let's run through this once more…" Sonny says, taking a seat next to me as I throw my pencil to the table in frustration.<p>

"I'm never gonna get this right!" I groan, putting my head down on the table, and Sonny sighs.

"You are." She says, before running the whole thing through with me again. I try in again for myself, but I get it wrong again I groan.

"Okay, let go easier…" Sonny says, using the studio classroom's blackboard to write down something that's supposed to help me. I watch her do so, internally groaning. I'm so fed up of numbers. I know Sonny's just trying to help, but to be honest, I just want her to shut up so I can kiss her again. I know, it wasn't a real kiss, but I'm glad I did it. She smelt nice… when you get past the strong, unbearable perfume, she smells like vanilla. Yum…

"Chad?" A voice wakes me from my Sonny-dream, and I look up to see the girl herself, staring my way, hands on hips.

"Chad, are you even paying attention?" She asks.

"Yeah, yeah, of course." I say.

"Really?" She smirks, before asking, "Then what's the answer?"

"Uh…" I think about it, thoughts channelling through my head, and I suddenly come out with the idea, "Vanilla?" _Nice one, idiot._

Sonny groans, doing a face-palm, before huffing dramatically. "Well, let's see if you get it this way…"

She wonders over to the corner of the classroom, where the hexagon of six triangles is sat, and picks one of the triangles up.

"Okay," She says, "This is a triangle. The equation for the area of a triangle is half of…"

_Blah, blah, blah… _this is boring. Sonny, just stop talking about that and kiss me or something! Wait, why am I even thinking this? Sonny's the enemy – I shouldn't be thinking about how hot she looks in that short skirt. Yup, it's short. Scarily short. But it makes her look hot. _Really _hot. And sexy. Yep. What? I'm a teenage dude – I'm allowed to think these things. No, wait, I'm not, because she's my enemy. My _hot _enemy.

"Earth to Cooper?"

"Huh?"

I wake up once again to see Sonny glaring at me menacingly.

"Gosh, you are so bad at this!" She groans, "Ever heard of concentration?"

"Sorry," I sigh, "Do you think you can just explain it in a simpler way?"

Sonny huffs, "Fine, we'll try the kindergarten way…" She grabs a piece of chalk and walks over to the blackboard, before drawing a large round thing on it. "Do you know what this is?" She asks me, with a voice like she's talking to a toddler. Which, I guess, with the amount of stuff I'm taking in right now, she'd be better off doing so.

"A circle." I say, and she claps sarcastically.

"Well done." She says, "At least you know _something_. Let's see if we can build on that. So, a circle is…"

Oh no. More Math. What I would do right now to shut her up. I'd just take her in my arms, hold her tight, stare into her eyes, and then kiss her. Right on the lips – not like on the cheek from last week after the So Random show. And she'd kiss me back. And then we'd feel sparks fly all around us. Just one kiss from Sonny Munroe… and I'd be hooked. I know I would.

"CHAD!"

"Huh?"

I look around to notice Sonny looking at me, this time fuming.

"This is hopeless," She sighs, "You are _never _going to pass that test! You're just to flipping distracted!"

I dare not to tell her I'm distracted by _her._

"I'm out." She sighs, leaving the room before I have the chance to stop her. To be honest, I'm too busy watching her go and, uh, enjoying it. Ugh, I'm too much of a dude. What the heck has that girl done to me?

Well… now what am I going to do? If my tutor has bailed on me… there's nothing I can do. Nothing, I suppose, except take Tawni's advice, and cheat. I've never cheated in my life, sure, and it's not something that someone like me would do. But I'm not going to miss that interview, not for the world.

So, with that, I take the geometry book from the side of the classroom and a pen, and start writing the information onto my hand, ready for the test. After I've done, my right hand is caked in ink, and I leave the classroom and head to my dressing room to unwind before the test later. Nope, nothing is gonna go wrong.

* * *

><p>Gosh. I'm an idiot. Did I not realise that saying "nothing will go wrong" jinxed the fact that <em>something <em>would go wrong?

I'm a morality sucker, and anything bad I do, I feel awful for it. I guess my conscience is just a big part of me – that's how I've been raised. And yet I still cheated…and didn't realise that it was a really bad thing to do until it was too late. So, I yelled out to the classroom that I was a cheater just before the test started, and now I'm sat in Marshall's office, being shamed. Which, I suppose, I deserve.

"I'm very disappointed." Marshall frowns as I look down to my shoes, not daring to make eye contact. "I honestly didn't expect you, of all people, to cheat, Chad."

"I didn't cheat, though. I almost cheated!" I protest weakly, "I didn't go through with it."

"I am still very disappointed." He says, "I've had a talk with your mother about it and she is also very angry with you, Chad. You're lucky I managed to talk her out of sending you back to Wisconsin!"

I frown. He told my mother? Well, I'm doomed when I go home later.

"Anyway, we talked about what would be a suitable punishment…" Marshall continues, "We came to the decision that, until you take that test and pass, you're off the show. And that means – no shows, no sketches, no interview…"

"No!" I protest, getting up from my chair, "That's totally unfair!"

"Well, your mother and I disagree." He continues, "This is very serious business. Now, if I were you, I'd get studying. Ms Bitterman is willing for you to retake the test tomorrow while she's grading everyone else's papers. So make sure you're prepared for it."

I take that as a hint to leave the room. I head to my dressing room with a geometry book that I stop by the classroom to borrow for studying, before heading home to face a night of awkward stares and torture from Mom. She doesn't say much to me, except that she's disappointed in me and that she knew coming to Hollywood was a mistake. I just shrug, sigh, and read my book, wishing Sonny wasn't so darn irresistible. If she wasn't, maybe I'd have focused when she was trying to help me and I wouldn't have cheated. I know I shouldn't be blaming it on Sonny though – it's all my fault.

* * *

><p>The next day, I'm sat in my dressing room, waiting for Ms Bitterman to call me in for my retake. It's not like I'm gonna pass though. My mind was fogged last night by so many things, and it still is, that I just can't seem to concentrate long enough to get on and read this book. I'm gonna get kicked off the show if I don't pass – I know it. I wish that was enough motivation to get me going though…<p>

"I'm sorry to hear."

I turn around from my vanity to see a figure stood at the door. Sonny Munroe, stood there, hands behind her back, frowning.

"About the whole kicked off the show thing," She continues, leaving the doorway and walking towards me. "I guess it's kind of my fault."

I smile sadly. Sonny's come to see me? To apologise? There's something you don't see everyday. "Thanks," I say, "But it wasn't your fault. You were trying to help me, and I wasn't paying attention."

"But I shouldn't given up so easily." She shrugs, before flipping her hair, "You know me; I'm not a quitter. If it wasn't for me giving up, you could be down at your rehearsals right now like a good little Random."

I roll my eyes, "How can you always turn every one of my problems around and make them into your problems?"

"I'm just that good." She shrugs, with another flip of the hair. "And that is why I'm gonna try and tutor you all over again."

"You are?" I ask, a small smile tugging at my lips.

"Sure." She shrugs.

"What's the catch?"

"There's no catch." She says, "I know how much this interview thingy means to you, and I wanna help out. You know, a little."

I smile. Could this be real? Is Sonny Munroe… being kind? Wowza.

"But you have to promise not to tell anyone about it, okay?" She says, a slightly secretive tone tugging at her voice, and I nod.

"I won't," I say, "Promise."

"Good." She grins.

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

She giggles a little, before squashing up next to me on the chair, and I suddenly feel very hot. Whoa, concentrate, Chad. Concentrate.

"Okay, let's get going…"

Sonny's POV

Don't ask me _why _I'm helping Chad – because I don't know. Maybe it's because it was kinda my fault that he ended up cheating. Maybe because I just feel like being nice. Maybe because I like Chad and I don't like him being sad. No, it's not the last one.

After about half an hour, Chad and I have trudged through most of the things he needs to know for the test, and he's actually getting somewhere. When he's not gaping at me, he's a pretty good learner, and kinda smart. You know, for a Random.

"Thanks again, Sonny," Chad says for like the fiftieth time so far, "You know, you're a pretty good teacher."

"Yeah…" I smile, a little cautious but thankful for a compliment from a Random, "I guess I am pretty good, aren't I?"

"Yup," Chad laughs, "I think if your acting career ever goes wrong, this would be an awesome career move for you. Sonny Munroe – the teacher!" He says the last bit spreading his arms out widely and dramatically, and that makes me laugh.

"Please," I say, "Sonny Munroe's acting career will never go wrong! And even if it did, which it won't, I wouldn't become a teacher. I mean, an actress, then a teacher? Ew. Gross. I'd stick with something cooler… like singing or something."

Chad lets out a little laugh, "Can you even sing, Sonny? No offence."

"Of course I can!" I say, gripping my chest and gasping dramatically. You can see why I'm on such a popular drama show, "Why? Can you sing?"

Chad shrugs, "I don't know. I write songs, but I don't know if I can sing…"

"You write songs?" I grin. How I so wanna hear one of his songs right now…

"Yeah…" He says, "I think we should just stick to the matter at hand right now, that okay?"

"Fine." I sigh. To my displeasure, he doesn't continue our little fight. Awh, I love that fight!

At that moment, there's a knock on the door, and Ms Bitterman yells to Chad from the outside, telling him to get to the classroom for his test. He looks at me, looking nervous, and I return him a smile.

"Go get 'em, tiger." I wink, and he smiles, getting up and heading for the door. Before he leaves, I yell to stop him. "Chad?"

"Yeah?" He says, turning back at me with his killer-cute smile.

"Good luck." I grin, and he grins back.

"Thank you," He says, "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I know," I wink, "Now you go pass."

I laughs, before leaving the door. I watch him go with a smile. The guy's so sweet, so cute… not… not that I like him, of course not! Okay, who am I kidding? To be honest, I _think_ I likehim. He's so sweet and funny and kind… but he's a Random. I _can't _like him. And I'm trying not to, but it's just so hard…

* * *

><p>A few hours later, and I'm at home, lying on my bed and listening to the rumbling of my mom and step-father arguing outside. With a groan, I grab my phone and send Chad a text.<p>

_How did the test go?_

A few minutes later, I get a reply.

_**Got a B! :D**_

I grin at this, before sending him a message.

_Good boy. I'm proud of you. Just… remember - Don't tell anyone, okay?_

_**I know, I know. I don't break my promises, so I won't tell anyone. **_

_Good. _

_**Good.**_

I smirk at this.

_Fine._

_**Fine.**_

I hear more screaming from outside, and groan, before sending Chad one more text.

_I've gotta go now. See ya._

_**Bye ;)**_

I then put away my phone, putting my head to my pillow, before falling asleep to the faint sound of my unfortunate family in the hallway. Strangely enough, the thoughts of Chad help me to sleep, and when I do sleep, I'm pretty sure I see a blonde boy in my dreams, and that makes me smile when I wake up. A lot.

I like that boy. I don't know what it is, but it's true. I like him.

* * *

><p><strong>WE HAVE LIFT-OFF! ;) Yes, she has finally admitted it. I know you guys all wanted to hear that. Especially you, Nicole ;)<strong>

**I hope you guys liked it! Oh, and just a quick point - I got Twitter last night! My name is AmyTheLovatic, and if you guys wanna follow me, just send me a tweet saying you're such-and-such from FanFiction and I'll follow you back! I'm going to be dropping hints and stuff on Twitter for many of my stories, especially this one and Living With My Sonshine, so I hope you guys can go check it out!**

**Okay, peace out ;)**

**~Amy x**


	9. Chad With A Girlfriend

**Hey, y'all! I think it's time for an update, don't you?**

**Anyways, I'm thankful for your reviews once again. We've already hit 100 reviews! Now, for some review replies.**

**Channylover26 - No. I don't sleep. I just have batteries that recharge :P No, I'm joking there. I just love writing for y'all coz you all review so nicely! The more reviews I get, the faster I go! :D**

**TheDarkLordNwitchpire - Yes. Twitter is AWESOME! **

**LiveLaughLovePeaceChocolate - I was planning to do that episode, and yes, this chapter is based on it!**

**So, for those of you who aren't LiveLaughovePeaceChocolate, this chapter is based on SWAC episode Three's Not Company, only I've changed it around A LOT. I'm very proud :P But I don't own SWAC, so you know :P What? You knew that? Oh, okay :)**

**There is a mention of anorexia, kinda. Sorry for the attitude portrayed towards anorexics - they aren't mine! **

**Hope y'all like it! See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 - Chad With A Girlfriend<strong>

Chad's POV

Rehearsals finish at about lunch time a few days later, and I feel great! I've been on such a high since Monday, at the interview. It was so much fun and, as my friends predicted, it got me even higher in the Hollywood world. I've been getting even more fan mail, even more fans on Flitter, and a couple of calls for guest starring roles in some shows. This is just awesome!

I arrive at my dressing room and open the door, only to see a figure in the dark, which almost makes me scream. I turn on the light to see Sonny stood there, and only after a few seconds do I realise that it's not Sonny – it's a cardboard cut-out. Huh, that's nice of her. Deliver a cut-out of herself and scare me half to death. How thoughtful.

I then notice 'Sonny' is holding a card, and I take it from her.

"Hey there!" I voice comes from the cut-out, which, once again, freaks me out. "I'm TV's Sonny Munroe, and I'm just here to invite you, Chad Dylan Cooper, to my birthday party this Friday. I so hope you can come! See you there!"

I roll my eyes, reading through the invite on the card. Apparently, the theme is 'Sonny Munroe'… sounds _enjoyable_. I might go, but to be honest I'd be fine with not going. Especially if the rest of my cast aren't invited, which, knowing Sonny, they aren't. It's actually kinda surprising she even invited me. I leave the invite on the side of my dressing table and head to the cafeteria for lunch.

* * *

><p>"Chaddy bear!"<p>

I'm halfway to the cafeteria, near the entrance to the So Random stage, when I hear a familiar girl's voice yell a weird nickname that I haven't been called since the days of Wisconsin, with my last girlfriend…

"Ronnie?"

I turn around to see my ex-girlfriend running my way. Ronnie was my girlfriend a few months ago in Wisconsin before I moved; the one I've mentioned before. She's a cheerleader, and super popular, skinny blonde type of girl. I know that doesn't sound like my kind of girl, but she can be kind, when she wants to be. And she's not as bad as Tawni Hart, or even Sonny Munroe.

I was pretty surprised when she did go out with me, but she broke up with me within the first few weeks. But when she found out I was going to Hollywood, she started to want to be my friend again. Weird? Just a little.

She approaches me, wrapping her arms around me before letting go again with a grin on her face.

"I am soooo glad to see you!" She squeals, gripping my hands and swaying them lightly.

"You too…" I smile, "What are you doing here?"

"I missed my Chaddy…" She pouts, "It's been so long… and I've missed you so much…"

_Her _Chaddy? "We're not dating anymore, Ronnie." I say, "Remember? You broke up with me a long time before I even knew I was coming to Hollywood."

"Oh, but that was back then!" Ronnie sighs, pouting a little, "I was young, stupid to let you go… only in these last few weeks since you left did I realise how amazing you are."

I smile a little, "Really?"

"Yep!" She grins, "So, do you wanna get back together?"

I sigh a little. Sure, I've kinda missed Ronnie. We had fun when we were together, and maybe we could have fun again? She's asking for me back, and there's a part of me that still likes her. So… why not?

I take her hand and grin at her, "Sure."

She beams, hugging me and squealing, before I decide to show her around. I drag her to my dressing room, both of us laughing like crazy.

* * *

><p>"Ugh… I need something to eat."<p>

After I've given Ronnie the tour of the studio, we head towards the cafeteria for a little lunch. We're walking through one of the hallways between Studios 2 and 3 when Ronnie pauses next to a poster. I have to tilt my head around hers to notice that she's only gazing at the poster of Melody Falls, which advertises Sonny Munroe doing her all-too well-known pose, looking pretty as usual. What? I didn't say she was pretty. I couldn't say that – I wouldn't say that – I'm with Ronnie now.

"They film Melody Falls here?" Ronnie breathes, looking at me with a grin, "I had no idea… I love that show!"

I roll my eyes. Great. My girlfriend loves the show that stars the people I can't stand the most in the entire world. I have _a lot _to teach her.

"It's so dramatic…" Ronnie is saying, "And the boys on it are so cute…"

I pretend I didn't hear that – instead I drag Ronnie away from the poster and towards the cafeteria. Honestly, I'm starving. Not jealous though. Nope. I have no need to be jealous – Ronnie's my girlfriend and she's not gonna cheat on me with one of the Dramas. I know her, okay? She just says things without thinking – we all have flaws, and that's her flaw. I guarantee Ronnie will not cheat on me with any of the "cute" boys from Melody Falls.

No way.

* * *

><p>The next day, I'm sat on the Prop House couch, totally bored and lonely. Where's Ronnie, you ask? I honestly don't know, but she's probably hanging out with one of the Falls kids.<p>

Don't give me that look – she's not cheating on me. She's just hanging out with the Falls kids. I'm not clingy – I know that she shouldn't be spending every waking moment with me, even if she's my girlfriend.

I have to admit though, I would prefer it if she was hanging out with me. I mean, we're dating again – I'd hope we can spend a little time together. Yesterday, she saw the Falls kids eating at their table and asked me to introduce her to them. That brought me down a little. What brought me down even more was that Sonny wasn't with them. She was probably sorting out plans for her party later or something, which was a shame because seeing her usually cheers me up (…forget I said that).

Anyway, Ronnie and I spent most of the day apart yesterday. When she was free, I had rehearsals, and when rehearsals finished she was shopping with Portlyn and Chastity, or helping Skyler rehearse his lines. Not that I'm jealous of that, of course. I guess I just… missed my girlfriend, is all.

But tonight, I have a plan. I've decided not to go to Sonny's party, because Ronnie is going home tomorrow. So I'll take her to a movie or something, like we used to do back in Wisconsin. I just hope Ronnie isn't "too busy"…

"Oh my gosh… what happened to you? Are you okay?" I hear a voice say, and I sigh.

"I'm fine, I just…"

Before I can say anymore, someone runs past me and towards the other side of the room as fast as the wind, and I sit up to see that aforementioned person is Sonny Munroe, the birthday girl. Well, tomorrow, but her party's today. The party that I'm not going to.

Sonny is stood next to a cut-out of herself, like the one that was in my dressing room yesterday, but with two big differences. One – she's doing a different pose. Two – it's been vandalised. The face has been, well, _defaced_, with red-ink zits, blacked-out teeth and geeky glasses. I chuckle inwardly. Tawni, Nico, Grady and Zora did that earlier as revenge for Sonny not inviting them to her party. It was quite funny, and distracted from me missing Ronnie.

"Tell me, who did this to you?" Sonny yells dramatically, pushing the button on the cut-out's hand, which made it say the names of my uninvited friends, and Sonny glares angrily at the ground, before looking up at me with a blindingly-white smile.

"Hey, Chaddy!" She grins, "I guess I'll be seeing you later at my party?"

I roll my eyes. _Not flipping likely, Munroe. _"Yeah, about that…" I say, "I'd _love _to come, but I can't."

Sonny's eyebrows crease and her smile fades and I almost feel bad for it, but then shake off the bad feeling. Sonny's probably just upset because this means one last gift.

"You were the no?" She asks sadly, "_You_ were the one person I invited who said _no_?" I nod. "But why?"

"Well, my girlfriend's in town, and I've been wanting to spend a little time with her alone, so…"

"So?" She shrugs, "You can bring her to the party!"

I roll my eyes, "Spend time _alone _with her." I repeat, and she frowns, before her eyes widen.

"Wait…" She says, "Your girlfriend? The girl who's been hanging out with my cast?"

"That's the one." I say, and Sonny scoffs, placing a dramatic, newly-manicured nail onto her chest.

"So you'd rather hang out with your girlfriend who's cheating on you three minutes into being in Hollywood than come to your good friend's birthday party?"

I hold back a laugh, "Sonny, you're not my good friend," _As much as it hurts to say that… _"And Ronnie's _not _cheating on me. She's just…" I try to come up with an excuse, considering this whole "cheating" thing is looking more and more possible. I inwardly groan at the fact that Sonny may be right, and I really hate it when she's right. "She's just… hanging out with other people! Just because she's my girlfriend doesn't mean she has to spend every waking moment with me, you know?"

Sonny scowls at me, before grabbing her cut-out and pulling it along, looking down at the floor. "Wow…" She mumbles, walking towards the door with her gaze set firmly on the ground, "I always knew I would get rejected, but I thought it would come from an Efron or a Jonas."

I start to feel very unkind. After everything Sonny's done for me since I came to So Random – the thing with Erica, the tutoring – even though we're sworn enemies… and I'm rejecting her like this? I feel awful.

"Look, Sonny, I…"

"Chad, guess what –" Another voice enters the room, and when the voice reveals to be Ronnie, I cringe. This is gonna be awkward…

"Oh my God…" Ronnie grins, noticing Sonny, "No way… it's you! Sonny Munroe!"

Sonny ignores Ronnie, storming past with her head held high. She turns back at the last minute, giving me a death glare.

"Chad." She spits.

"Sonny." I return, before she storms out of the room, cut-out under her arm. Ronnie watches her go, before walking up to me and putting an arm around me. Weirdly enough, it isn't very comforting.

"What's up with her?" She asks, and I sigh.

"Just a disagreement." I shrug.

Ronnie pouts, "Too bad…" She says, "I hope it doesn't put a downer on her party tonight…" _Damn it! _She knows about the party. She turns to me with one of those "please?" grins and says, "It sounds like it's gonna be so much fun! Do you think we could go?"

_No, no, no!_ That's not what I want at all! I just want to spend time alone with Ronnie, like the old days. Plus, if I go to Sonny's party, I'm gonna have to confront her. Not a good idea, especially since I think she hates Ronnie's guts for tearing me away from her party (why she cares that I'm not gonna be there, I have no idea).

"Well… I'd love to take you…" I say, trying to come up with an excuse. Ooh, _light-bulb! _"But… I don't know how I could get into that party because Sonny didn't invite me."

Ronnie pouts a little, "Awh…" She sighs, before shrugging, "Never mind then. I suppose we could just do something together…" _Bingo! _"So, I'll come to your apartment later?"

I smile, "Sure."

She smiles, kissing me on the cheek before walking off, yelling "Toodles!" behind her. Gosh, I'm such a liar… and now I feel awful for upsetting Sonny. Wait a minute… why do I feel bad about upsetting Sonny? It's not like I like her or something! No way! I like Ronnie. She's my girlfriend. And me and her are gonna have so much fun tonight…

Sonny's POV

The last rehearsals of the day finish, and I sigh with relief. Finally! To be honest, I just wanna get out of work and get to my party! Gifts, people all there to celebrate me… and Chad. I invited Chad, and I've decided tonight is where I'm gonna try and hint that I like him… hopefully he'll get my hints and say that he loves me too. That would just be amazing… the perfect birthday present. And maybe he'd kiss me… I wonder what his lips taste like…

Wow. Something's wrong with me. Chad has done something to me. I don't know what it is, but he's changed me in some way.

And weirdly, it doesn't annoy me.

At all.

Nope, what annoys me more is how boring my cast mates are. To be honest, I'd much rather hang out with Chad than in here with the stupid, mind-numbing bunch of people I have the misfortune of calling "my cast mates". So, I leave the Melody Falls lounge and head to Stage 3, So Random, hoping to find Chad. Amazingly, he's in the first place I come across – the So Random Prop House. Problem is – he looks sad. Really sad. I try to stop myself from opening my mouth, but it's an impossible task.

"Oh my gosh…" My big mouth says when my eyes notice Chad sat in the couch, sad-looking and sighing, "…what happened to you? Are you okay?"

_Well done, Munroe. Bad girl image = over. It's okay, it's okay… come up with a cover or something. _I notice my cut-out that I sent to the Prop House to un-invite the other Randoms. And they've defaced it. Yep, there's my cover!

Before Chad can reply to my question, I run past him (as fast as you can run in 4-inch wedges… ugh. I hate being the over-slutty bad girl) and towards the cut-out, rubbing at the face of my cut-out. I have to admit – I may hate myself for being the total bitch that I am (don't you dare repeat that to anyone), I also hate this defacing. They gave me zits! Not attractive! And geeky glasses! That's why I wear contacts… and ugh! Don't even get me started on the teeth…

"Tell me, who did this to you?" I yell dramatically to my cut-out, watching Chad get up and look at me in confusion. Aw… he looks so cute when he's puzzled. _Shut up, Sonny! _Make me.

I decide to finally pretend to notice Chad, look up at him with my killer-smile and chirping, "Hey, Chaddy!" _Ugh. Chaddy. That sounds weird. _"I guess I'll be seeing you later at my party?"

I see the look he gives me at that moment – the _ugh, no way _look – and feel instantly bad.

"Yeah, about that…" He says, "I'd love to come," He's lying. I can tell, "but I can't."

I frown. Chad's… not coming? But he's the only one who will make tonight's ego-fest bearable! I know I always act like I'm so bigheaded, but I'm not. And I really don't want this stupid party either. But the party, the act, it's all to protect myself. Because if I'm a bitch, no-one will get too close to me. And I can't have someone close to me again… I just can't.

"You were the no?" I ask, just checking I heard right, or trying to convince him to change his mind, "_You _were the one person I invited who said _no_?" His immediate response is a nod, and I feel sick. "But why?"

"Well, my girlfriend's in town, and I've been wanting to spend a little time with her alone, so…"

The feeling after hearing that word is like a piece of glass has been lodged in my throat. _G-girlfriend? _Chad has a_ girlfriend? _Surprisingly though, I still want him to come, just to make my night a little better… maybe I can break those two up if he brings her. Then I can be Miss Shoulder-To-Cry-On and maybe Chad will fall for me. Maybe.

"So?" I say, adding a little chuckle, "You can bring her to the party!"

Chad rolls his eyes as if I'm very, _very _stupid. "Spend time _alone _with her." He says. That piece of glass digs in further into my throat.

I just can't get my head around this. Chad… has a girlfriend? Who? I mean, not that he's not attractive or anything, but I didn't realise any Hollywood girls had the hots for him. Unless… maybe she's not a Hollywood girl? Maybe she's visiting from his hometown.

Then, it all sinks in. Sky, Portlyn and Chastity have been hanging out with a girl from Wisconsin… Sky even kissed her. Maybe that's her…

"Wait…" I say, just to confirm with Chad, "Your girlfriend? The one who's been hanging out with my cast?"

I can hear the disappointment in his voice, "That's the one."

I scoff, clutching my chest to hold back a laugh. "So you'd rather hang out with your girlfriend who started cheating on you three minutes into being in Hollywood than come to your good friend's birthday party?"

Crap. I didn't mean to call him my good friend. He is a good friend to me, I suppose… but he doesn't know that.

"Sonny, you're not my good friend." Chad says, and I wince. It really hurts to hear Chad say that. "And Ronnie's not cheating on me." _Ronnie… _I should remember that name so I can use her as a punch-bag for cheating on _my _Chaddy… "She's just… hanging out with other people!" Chad muses, and I try to stop myself from laughing. I've never felt so bad and yet so good to be right. "Just because she's my girlfriend doesn't mean she has to spend every waking moment with me, you know?" He continues.

I feel a frown form on my lips, and then turn to a scowl. Chad would _honestly _rather hang out with his cheating girlfriend than come to my party? I've seen the girl – she's not even that pretty. She's way to skinny, and that's coming from me. And I used to suffer from anorexia. Yep, I've had a dramatic life. Wait, this isn't about me. It's about Chad, and me being mad at him.

"Wow…" I say, dragging my cut-out towards the Prop House door, "I always knew I would get rejected, but I thought it would come from an Efron or a Jonas."

"Look, Sonny, I…" Chad says, trying to make up for hurting me, before a voice interrupts him.

"Chad, guess what –" The voice says, coming up behind me, and when I turn around I see the voice belongs to a skinny blonde girl – Ronnie, the cheating bitch herself. "Oh my God… no way! It's you! Sonny Munroe!" Huh. She must be a fan. Believe me, sweetie, the feeling isn't mutual.

I walk straight past her, before giving Chad one last glare, trying to tell him that I'm telling the truth, and that he should just dump her and come to my party. He obviously doesn't get it though.

"Chad." I say as a farewell.

"Sonny." He replies. With that, I leave.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, I'm stood in the middle of a giant hall. Cut-outs of me are everywhere, and I'm surrounded by about a hundred random invitees. I look pretty good – I'm wearing a scarily-short red dress with sequins around the hem, along with a flashy diamond necklace (whether it's a real diamond or not, I don't know. My step-father bought it for me for my birthday present, probably to try and win me over, and he's very cheap) and 5 inch high red heels.<p>

I don't feel as good as I look though. I miss Chad. I wish he was here. We could be talking, drinking, having fun. Maybe we'd even dance a little, and if a slow song came on, we'd slow dance, look deeply into each other's eyes, and kiss.

Not flipping likely now, considering he's not even here.

I then notice a couple of people in the corner of the room, and I feel my face turn red with rage. Ronnie, Chad's poisonous girlfriend is here, with Skyler. What the hell is she doing here? I thought she was meant to be hanging out with Chad! I look around the room – I can't see Chad anywhere – and conclude that Ronnie must have ditched Chad. I walk out into the hallway, where it's slightly quieter, and call Chad. After just a few seconds, he answers.

"Hello?"

"Chad?" I question.

"Yeah," He sighs, "It's me. How's your birthday going, Sonny?"

"It's sucks." I say truthfully, "What I wanna know is why Ronnie is at my party? I thought she was hanging out with you."

"So did I…" He sighs, before adding angrily, "Bet you wanna say 'I told you so', huh?"

I feel a lump in my throat and I bite my lip. I don't like it when Chad's sad, or angry. He's at his best when he's happy. Happy, smiley and, well, _Chad_-like.

"No…" I say, "I just wanted to call and see if you were okay."

"No." He growls into the phone. "I feel like crap. We were watching a movie, Skyler showed up at my apartment and she bailed." He then groans, "I hate to say it, Sonny, but you were right."

Strangely, it doesn't feel satisfying to hear Chad say that. Especially not in this situation.

"Chad, I'm so sorry…" I say, "But trust me – you don't deserve anyone like her. She's a total dog – you can do way better."

I hear him chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Thanks, Sonny." He says.

"I just wish I could help you get her back…" I say, before getting an idea. "Chad, get down here. And dress nice."

"Sonny?" He questions, with a mocking tone in his voice, "What's going on in that devious mind of yours?"

I smirk. "Just come down to the party. You have the address on your invite, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Great!" I say, not giving him a chance to reply, "See you here!"

I then hang up, planning my revenge on Ronnie. When you mess with Chad Dylan Cooper, you mess with Sonny Munroe. And Sonny Munroe is not one to be messed with.

* * *

><p>20 minutes later, and I see Chad arrive. He looks pretty cute, for short notice, in a white shirt with the top few buttons undone (<em>hot<em>), black jeans, a black tie not totally done up, and a black jacket. Wow. He looks _stunning. _I feel myself warm up and hide my blushes behind a curtain of hair. I catch his eye, and he smiles.

"You look great." He mouths, and I smile.

"You too."

I then wink at him, heading up to the stage where the dessert, a huge cake which my mother named "Death By Choco-Sonny" (lame), is sat on a table. I have a glass of some kind of drink in my hand, and tap it with a spoon, to grab everyone's attention.

"Hey everyone!" I say in a sing-songy voice, "I just wanna make a quick announcement. I wanna thank you all for coming to my party tonight! Because I'm so thankful for all coming, I've decided to let someone come up and try the dessert first! Any volunteers?"

A bunch of hands go up, and I scan the room for Ronnie. Surprise, surprise – being the too-skinny girl she is, she doesn't have her hand up. In fact, I haven't seen her eat all night. Yuck.

"You!" I chirp at her, getting some of the security guards to "escort" her over when she resists. I smile falsely at her when she gets on the stage, really wanting to push her off the edge. But no, that's not my plan.

"Hey there, girly!" I say, "What's your name?"

"Ronnie." She says. _Ah yes. Ronnie. Also known as The Chad-Hurting Female-Dog… well, to me. _

"Ronnie…" I say, "Hey! Ready to try some cake?"

"I hate cake." She says, pulling a face. _No surprise there, you skinny freak._

"Well, let's see if I can change your mind on that…" I say, handing her the spoon. She takes a bite, gaining the look of pleasure when she has a bit.

"Good?" I ask, and she nods. I grin. "Great! Have some more…"

At that moment, my plan hits full swing. I grab her hair and dunk her face into the cake, causing everyone in the room to burst out laughing. Yeah, I think Ronnie made some enemies tonight. Including me.

"Oh, sorry!" I say falsely, "Hear, let me wash that off…" I then splash her with the drink I was holding. She gasps angrily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She hisses while everyone continues to explode with laughter.

"You hurt someone I happen to like…" I say, gazing over to where Chad was. He isn't there anymore. I turn back and glare at her, staring her down. "Let me teach you something, girly." I say, "You mess with us in Hollywood, you get your fingers burnt. So bounce, 'kay? And never come back."

Ronnie gasps angrily, before storming out of the room. I giggle watching her go, before looking around for Chad.

I can't see him anywhere.

* * *

><p>The next day, I walk into Stage 2 with mixed feelings. Sure, getting revenge on Ronnie was <em>awesome<em>, but I didn't see Chad afterwards. I sure hope I didn't upset him in any way getting revenge…

I enter my dressing room to see a sweet sight – a fruit basket, with a purple ribbon tied around the handle and a note sticking out. I pick it up, smiling when I start to read.

_Hey, Sonshine! Hope you like the fruit – healthy alternative to that bitch-filled cake yesterday, huh? Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday – it was awesome! And sorry that I left, but I thought if anyone saw a Random at your party they'd get suspicious. I know how much your little reputation means to you…_

_Anyways, thanks again! Happy birthday, and I'll see you around._

_Your good friend._

_Chad x_

I feel my heart flutter. Chad… my good friend? Finally! Sure, it's not what I want, but I guess being friends is good enough. I'm just glad he liked my revenge.

I then hear my name called for rehearsals. I hide the fruit basket under my vanity, next to my songbook, before running out to rehearsals with my head in the clouds and my heart feeling like it's flying.

So this is what it feels like to like someone for real…

* * *

><p><strong>Congrats! You reached the bottom! *party blower*<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed it... to me this chapter was almost unrecognisable... (I don't think that's a word .)**

**Now all you have to do is review! Please? That would be lovely of you, dears ;)**

**~Amy x**


	10. Oh No She Didn't!

**Hey guys!**

**I am back with another chapter! This one is based on Poll'd Apart, which I wasn't originally planning to do. But, with the help of LiveLaughLovePeaceChocolate, I've decided to write it. So... this chapter is dedicated to you, LLLPC! (I just abbreviated your name, I hope you like it ;))**

**I don't own SWAC! Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 - Oh No She Didn't!<strong>

Chad's POV

_Anyways, thanks again! Happy birthday, and I'll see you around._

The day after Sonny's party, Sonny's real birthday, and I'm writing a little note to her to thank her for getting revenge on Ronnie for me last night. I never thought I'd say this, but I guess Sonny really is a pretty good friend. You know, for someone who's meant to be my worse enemy.

I slip the note into a basket full of fruit that I… borrowed from my Mom's fruit bowl back home, before stupidly sneaking to Melody Falls to give it to her. Luckily, the cast is in the middle of filming, so no-one really notices me and so no-one complains at my presence (cough, Dramas, cough). The security guard does give me funny looks when I enter and exit though, but he doesn't stop me. Which is weird, because last time I knew, I was on Sonny's Do Not Admit wall. I look up at the wall on my way out of the set and smile a little – I've been removed from the wall. Huh, what an honor.

I arrive in the Prop House at about noon after my mad rush to deliver Sonny's basket to face the rest of my cast, who are puzzled at the fact none of them have seen me all day. That's because I've been sat in my dressing room, sighing like a love-struck idiot.

"Chad?" Tawni says, scanning me like she can't quite believe I still exist. "Where have you been all morning? No-one's seen you."

"Uh…" _Great answer, moron. _"I've just been… places." _Ditto. Gosh, you're a bad liar._

Luckily, no-one questions me on these 'places', and get back to their usual business. Nico and Grady continue with their video game, Zora is in the corner of the room, making some kind of crazy contraption – probably to get revenge on someone – and Tawni just shrugs and turns to her phone. She fluffs her hair, pulling kissy faces at the screen of the phone as I take a seat on the couch and pick up a script for this week's So Random, puzzled at what she's doing. A few seconds later, I notice her phone isn't actually on and realise that she's just checking her reflection. I roll my eyes. These crazy self-obsessed Hollywood girls… they are _strange_.

Tawni notices the look I give her. She shoots me a death glare, before turning back to her phone and continuing to make kissy faces, and I watch her, sighing. I don't know what I think about Tawni – sure, she's pretty. She can be pretty cool, funny, sweet… but she's also incredibly egoistical. Just like Sonny. Something tells me that quite a few girls in this town can be like that. I guess it's what the fame does to you – Tawni and Sonny are probably the most famous people I've met so far in Hollywood. Coincidently, they're the most egoistical. It's quite a shame, considering they're both pretty and I use to have a crush on both of them… and maybe I _still_ have a crush on them…

Tawni then gasps dramatically, clutching her phone with one hand and her chest with another, before looking up from her phone for the second time since I entered the room.

"Guys, check this out!" She says, ushering us over to her phone. Being next to her on the couch, I don't have to move too far to see the screen. I just have to lean slightly into Tawni… which feels very awkward.

When I finally get a comfortable view of the phone (aka, not resting on Tawni's chest), I notice the Internet on the screen, open at an article from an online blog called "Sharona Knows".

I've read this blog countless times before. It was a major source for news all things Hollywood – So Random, Melody Falls, Sonny Munroe – the girl I had the major crush on…because she's so damn beautiful… and hot… where was I? Oh yeah, uh, the blog. I used it a lot to get news on the Hollywood gossip. Most of the time (I think) it was true, and it was kinda funny too.

"There's an article on us. Specifically _one_ of us…" Tawni explains, before reading out the headline, "_New Meat in the Random Bunch_."

I suddenly feel slightly anxious. New meat? She's gotta be talking about me… right? Coz I'm new, and I'm in So Random. The fans call the cast 'The Randoms' (courtesy of Sonny – she does it as an insult, but from So Random fans, it's the most awesome nickname possible). Yep. This is a story about So Random. And by the sounds of it, specifically me.

Tawni continues to read the article, "_Everyone knows the Randoms – the funny bunch of teens, great to watch for a laugh – second to only the drama of their rival show and neighbour in the popular TV studio Condor Studios – of course, this show is Melody Falls. We all love So Random, sure, but what's this? A rookie comedian seems to have crawled his way up from a small town in Wisconsin to join our favourite tween sketch show. Of course, this worried the fans of the group of teens who stuck together like glue. What would he be like? Would he cause tension in the group? And, mainly, would he be funny? We all know that if the kid's not funny, he's dead in this town._"

I suddenly feel my throat go very dry. Time for the moment of truth… do people really like me? Or have I just been kidding myself this whole time? I know I shouldn't listen to some silly blog… but you know; it's Sharona! And it's scary…

"_On his first show about five weeks ago, we all held our breath, watching for any kind of mistake from the newbie. As a Random fan myself, I knew that if the kid screwed up, I'd be first to complain! But… as I was searching for any kind of flaw… I found nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. You get the idea._"

My ears suddenly perk up as I feel Nico pat me supportively on the back.

"_Chad Dylan Cooper is his name… and what can I say? Not much but, this kid's a gem! Funny, goofy, kind-hearted, and not to mention – cute. Sources say that a lot of parents had to complain that their teenage daughters were sitting too close to the TV just to get a close-up glimpse of their new crush!_"

I suddenly feel very confident… and a little out of my depth.

"_Yes, with all the newly-acquired fame and oodles of screaming female fans he's received – he is loved by the boys too, don't get me wrong – you'd think the Wisconsinite would've gone crazy by now._" Tawni continues, no emotion in her voice. It just sounds like she's shocked. I hope that's a good thing._ "But, according to reports from friends and colleagues alike, he's as goofy, sweet and lovable as he seemed on the first show! Something tells me that Chad's gonna go far – in fact, I believe that he may be the new favourite Random! Move over Tawni Hart – here comes a real superstar! Yes, it seems that Tawni Hart, old favourite, may have become old news compared to this small-town superstar…"_

Tawni trails off after this, and I gulp. Uh oh… the blog had to mention Tawni, didn't it? Uh, something tells me Tawni's gonna hate me now. She was, according to the other Randoms, jealous that because I was new, I'd steal her spotlight. And that is exactly what Sharona has portrayed here.

Great.

"Nice, Chad…" Nico says supportively, yet you can tell in his voice that he's trying not to anger Tawni. And when she's in shock, Tawni is easily angered. Shoot.

"Yeah. Congrats." Zora says, "Sharona rarely praises anyone…"

At that moment, Tawni gets up and storms out, sobbing a little. I turn to face the other Randoms, cringing slightly, before following Tawni out into the hall and towards her dressing room.

* * *

><p>Well… following Tawni wasn't my brightest idea yet…<p>

Tawni being Tawni, she threw one of her familiar diva fits – yelling, screaming, and not letting anyone into her dressing room. Even when I somehow got in the dressing room, she screamed at me and threw a pillow at me, saying she was suddenly not good enough to be on the show because she was beaten to the top by a lousy, small-town cheese-eating perky kid. I know – ouch. But I try not to take it personally – when Tawni's mad, she goes overboard.

And it gets worse later on. It seems apparent that Sharona has started to target Tawni. She starts sending out rumour upon rumour on the poor girl, and Tawni reads every single one of them… and each one makes her madder and madder until staying within 5 metre radius of her seems pretty lethal.

So, I decide to open my big mouth and offer to go talk to Sharona, and ask her to stop blogging negatively about her. Honestly, what can go wrong? Well, a lot, knowing my luck.

But, being the meddling nut-job I am, I can't resist trying to help (get my nose stuck into something), so I'm gonna head to Sharona's office… if I can find it.

I'm walking across the Condor Studios parking lot, when I hear a girl scream a little and turn to see a silver convertible right in front of me, slowly heading my way.

Crap.

The car grinds to a halt, inches away from hitting me, and I sigh in relief, before looking past the shining headlights to see who I can blame for almost killing me. Okay… kind of freaking out there. Sorry.

"Sonny?"

Sat in the driver's seat of the shiny convertible is the birthday girl herself, who is holding a make-up mirror and looking at me with wide-open eyes.

"Oh. My. God." She breathes, "Chad, are you okay? I didn't hit you, did I? I wasn't exactly watching… but then, neither were you…"

"Sonny," I laugh, holding up my hand to quieten her, "Chill. I'm fine."

Sonny lets out a huge sigh of relief, and she drags her hand across her forehead, "Phew! I didn't want to kill somebody… especially today!"

"Yeah," I chuckle, "I didn't exactly _want_ to be killed today… happy birthday, anyways."

"Thanks." She grins, "Oh, and thanks for the basket. It was sweet."

I smile, ""Just my way of saying thanks for getting Ronnie off my case…"

"Ah, yes." She giggles, "I hoped you liked that. So whatcha doing out here? I thought you'd be hanging with your Fun-Hut buddies."

I roll my eyes, smirking, "Well, considering one of them wants to rip my face off right now, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Ooh…" She says, cringing, "What did you do this time, bad boy?"

Another eye roll. "Well, you know that blog by Sharona…"

"Ah, yes…" Sonny interrupts, "I read the article myself. So what happened? Did Little Miss Tantrum throw a hissy fit?"

"Exactly that." I sigh, "Only… not as bad as you make it out to be." Sonny smirks.

"Really, Chad? Really?"

"Really." I lie. "Anyway, so I told Tawni that I'd go talk to Sharona and ask her to stop blogging about her."

"Right…" Sonny says, "Well, fancy a lift?"

I raise an eyebrow, "A lift?" Sonny nods. "You're offering to take me somewhere?" Another nod. "…So what's the catch?"

"There isn't one!" Sonny smiles, "I just need to get away from this hellhole for a while." She groans a little while I open the passenger door to her car and get in. "Did you realise that if the new make-up artist doesn't give you a birthday present, you don't reserve the right to have them kicked out of the studio?"

I try not to laugh. "Sonny, you didn't…" I suddenly shudder at the thought of her kicking some innocent person out, "Did you?"

She shrugs, "Let's just say, if it was up to me, that girl would be on her way back to Atlanta before she's even settled in here."

"Wow…" I stammer, "Someone really is a diva."

Sonny shrugs again, "You love me really. Right?"

I smirk, before shrugging and pulling a face that signals a 'no', and Sonny gasps and whacks me on the arm with her perfectly-manicured hand, before changing gear on the car, and with that, we drive off.

"So…" Sonny says after a long silence, "You really think going to Sharona's will help in this situation?"

I shrug, "It doesn't hurt to try, right?"

"I suppose…" Sonny nods a little, "But… Sharona's pretty tough. And Tawni always overreacts… maybe you really have nothing to worry about. It's probably just one of her 'moods'."

Sonny quickly reaches for the steering wheel after using air quotes on the word 'moods', and I chuckle.

"I dunno, Sonny…" I say, "I guess I can try. And then, if it doesn't work out, I can just hope that you're right and it is just a…" I imitate her air-quotes, "…'mood'."

Sonny giggles, "Trust me – I, of all people, know when Tawni is in a mood. And this is definitely one of those times, from the way you described it. Throwing pillows and one big diva tantrum? She's probably just overreacting. She usually is."

"Ah, yes," I say sarcastically, "And you would know because you and Tawni were once such good friends."

I then feel Sonny tense up and suddenly remember that, from what Tawni told me, Sonny and Tawni were good friends.

"Once." Sonny says, looking down to her shoes before hearing a threatening car horn from the car next to us on the freeway and looking straight up at the road. Even then though, I can tell she's a little upset. But I don't want to leave it there – I want to ask Sonny why she abandoned her friend. I know it's risky and she may yell at me for trying to get involved, but it's worth a shot.

"What happened between you two?" I ask, "Tawni said that you guys were such good friends until you joined the Falls."

"What else did she tell you?" She quietly after a few seconds silence.

"Uh, that you ditched her for the Falls, and then pulled some huge prank on her for no reason."

She huffs loudly, before murmuring, "She's half right."

I blink, "What do you mean?"

"I did pull a prank on her." Sonny admits, "And I did ditch her. But it wasn't all because of the Falls… it was mainly revenge for some of the things she said to me towards the end of our friendship."

"She said stuff to you?" I say, slightly shocked. Tawni seemed so innocent when she told me about the story of her and Sonny's friendship – but maybe she left out a significant detail. "What kind of stuff?"

Sonny shrugs, "Uh, mean stuff."

"Like… what?"

"Stuff to do with my family… my dad mainly…"

"Your dad?" I gasp, "What about him?"

She twirls her head to face me rather than the road and shoots me a threatening glare. "Chad, I just… don't want to talk about this right now, okay? Can we just change the subject?" She snaps, staring me down, and I start to feel a little guilty.

"Sorry…" I say, slightly cowering, "I was just asking…"

"Well, _don't_." She growls, before turning back to face the road, before turning into some parking lot and bringing the car to a halt. "We're here." She says emotionlessly, "I'll wait for you out here."

I get out of the car, just nodding. I don't want to upset Sonny any more than it seems I already have.

* * *

><p>I enter the big skyscraper-like building that we've parked outside, asking the young-looking receptionist for Sharona's office, and she moodily directs me to an elevator and instructs that I go to floor 25.<p>

"Second door on the left." She mumbles, before sticking her earplugs in and turning the volume up so loud that I can hear it like I'm in a club. Wow… I'm amazed she's not deaf to anything but that music.

I follow her instructions to the office and have to blink twice to make sure I'm not asleep when I see that anything and everything in the room is the color purple. Purple walls, purple computer, purple rug… just, purple. It's actually kinda scary. **(I love that room, actually. I'm like, obsessed with the colour purple. I'm wearing it right now. Aaaaaaaaaaannd… back to the story.)**

In the back of the room sits a desk and computer, and at that desk is the woman herself – Sharona, typing something into the computer. I try not to overreact – she's not _that _famous…

She sure doesn't seem to notice my presence, though. She takes a sip out of a coffee mug, keeping her eyes on the computer screen. When it becomes clear to me that she's not going to look up any time soon, I decide to make my presence known.

"Um, hi, Sharona?" I say. At that moment, the woman looks up from her computer screen, smiling when she sees me.

"Ah, Chad!" She says, grinning slightly when she sees me, before turning back to the computer screen. I stand watching her for a minute, unsure of what the heck to say. Well, am I meant to say anything when she's barely acknowledged the fact that I wanna talk to her.

She looks up once more to face me and sighs. "Well, don't just stand there! Sit, sit!"

I nod obediently (what am I, a dog?) before heading over to the first seat I see (purple, of course).

"Not there." Sharona stops me. I pause over the chair, before walking over to a different seat. "Not there." She stops me again. I sigh. This woman is unbelievable.

"How about I just stand?" I say, and she nods, turning back to face her computer screen. I continue with what I have to say, regardless. I have no idea what I'm gonna say, but might as well say _something _if I want her to stop blogging about Tawni and Tawni to stop being angry with me.

"Uh, Sharona, I'm a big fan of your website…" I begin with a complimenting smile, but she interrupts me, taking her eyes off the computer screen once more.

"Who isn't?" She asks, before letting out a witch-like cackle. O-_kay_…

"Um, well, anyway…" I continue, but she cuts me off again.

"Not now." She says, holding a hand up, signalling me to shut up. "I'm just about to pick an outfit…"

I watch, perplexed, as Sharona insults a few assistants who bring in outfits for her, before she settles on a blazer – purple, of course, with a black hem.

"Like it?" Sharona asks, obviously thinking that my baffled expression is because of her clothes. Which, in case you didn't guess, are purple. "I'm going to wear this to the Oh No You Di'nts… it's custom-made, so no-one wears the same outfit as me…" She then shudders, "I loath it when people do that." I nod as she heads back to her computer. She sits back down and smiles at me. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

_Finally, we're getting somewhere! _"Well, I just wanted to tell you that some of the things you write on your website have hurt…" I then pause. I don't want her to take any victory in hurting Tawni. "…Certain people."

"Which people?" She asks, and I shrug secretively.

"Can't tell you."

"Well, it doesn't matter." Sharona shrugs, "If they can't take it, they shouldn't go outside."

"She's not going outside." I say.

"Who?"

"Tawni."

"Ah-ha!" Sharona looks up at me with a victorious grin and I moan.

"Okay, fine, it's Tawni. But she's really upset. When you said I was the new favourite, she ran into her dressing room, locked the door and threatened to quit because she thought she wasn't good enough of the show anymore. And then when you teased her hair she put on a bald cap!"

I remember that moment I saw Tawni 'bald' with a shudder. Now that was just disturbing… and I really like her hair, so… and yes, I did just say that. Don't go on about it, because we're just friends and nothing is gonna happen.

"I did _that_ to Tawni Hart?" Sharona says, grinning triumphantly, before lifting her hand for a high-five. "Can I get a what-what?"

I ignore her hand. Sure, it's nice to see Tawni not be loved by everybody, but seeing her upset by it… and then the person who upset her is happy about it? It's just not right…

"Sharona, look, this isn't anything to be happy about. You really hurt Tawni. And she isn't just a name on TV – she's a real person! And so are all the other people you've insulted over the years on your blog. And you should really think about that next time you want to write horrible things about people."

"You know what, Chad?" Sharona asks with a charming smile, "You're right."

I smile. Wow… I got through to her that quickly? Nice…

"I will really think about what you've said." She says, and I grin.

"Well, I'm glad we had this talk."

"Me too!" She says, "Well, bye!"

I then leave the room, a big, triumphant smile on my face. And it's still there when I return to Sonny's car. Sonny is looking at her phone when I get there, and she cringes when she sees me.

"It didn't go well, did it?"

"No, it went well!" I say, "What gave you that idea?"

"Um…" She hands me her phone, "Just the latest update on Sharona Knows…"

I read it with a scowl. "_Tawni Hart – bald and depressed. Tawni Hart is said to have quit So Random, and has shaved her head. Who knows why?_ That dirty, lying, manipulative…"

"Easy, easy!" Sonny says, "Don't strain yourself, Chaddy."

I roll my eyes at her tone, and sigh. "I thought she'd really listened to me… but I guess she just listened to my info about Tawni so she could mess with the girl even more." I lie back in the chair, groaning, "I swear, if I could get revenge on that lying, manipulative, self-loving…" I then pause, and start to think. Revenge? Easy. That big-headed woman said she loathed it when people wore the same outfits, right? Well, that's easily sorted out.

"Sonny…" I say, "Do you know any people who can custom-make outfits?"

Sonny gives me that "are you crazy?" look and says, "You think all _this_ comes from the _normal_ people's shop?"

I scan Sonny. Hmm… she does look hot. Her clothes do look like something "normal people" would wear, only amped up a lot… wait, did I just call Sonny hot? Meh, off the subject.

"I have a plan…" I tell her with a grin, "Something that'll fix Sharona's evil blogging ways once and for all…"

Sonny gains a look of understanding and grins. "Whatever you need… I'm in."

* * *

><p>The next day, me and my cast are at the Oh No You Din't Awards, wearing purple blazers just like Sharona showed me that she was going to wear, under beige jackets. All courtesy of Sonny and her designer. I don't know if Sonny's coming to the award show, but if she does, I need to remember to thank her for the help.<p>

We notice Sharona and walk up to her with smiles.

"We just wanted to say…" I say, "…you win."

Sharona grins, "Those are my two favourite words."

I laugh, "Before we leave, can we get a picture with you?" I ask, and she nods, smiling. So we all head to stand with her on the red carpet. I count down the cameras, hinting the cast to get ready to take off their jackets.

"And… three!"

The cameras flash as we take off our jackets and Sharona gasps in shock as she sees our outfits.

"You're wearing me!" She screams, "You can't wear me!"

"Actually…" I say, "I think we're wearing you a whole lot better than you!" I look over to the cameras and wink as the press laugh, but Sharona is not as amused.

"I am going to destroy you." She whispers threateningly, and I turn to her with a shrug.

"No, you're not, because if we don't care what you write about us, you can't hurt us anymore. So smile!"

I turn back to the cameras, posing like the rest of my cast, but Sharona won't give up.

"I am so going to blog you into so much shame, you'll go straight back to your little hometown in Wisconsin!" She threatens me, before typing in some kind of horrible rumour about me being a totally different person off-stage. I gulp. Okay, I'm a little afraid. What if she writes something that really does make my fans go away?

Suddenly, she falls over backwards, into a pond, and I'm shocked until I notice Sonny stood behind the pond, grinning.

"Well, I guess we all know who wore it _wetter_." She says to Sharona, before stepping over the pond and walking up to me, _us_, smiling. "Hey there, Randoms. Lovin' the outfits."

It's only then when I notice Sonny is wearing one of the Sharona-like outfits too, and I laugh.

"Lookin' good, Munroe." I wink, and she laughs as she walks into the venue for the awards. I'm so busy watching Sonny, I almost don't notice my friends gazing at me, confused. I regain my posture and pretend like I _don't _have a crush on Sonny. Which, unfortunately, I do…

Sonny's POV

The end of the awards comes quickly, and Sonny and Chad leave the awards together, laughing. We both have awards in our hands – Chad has Best New-comer, and I a,m carrying the awards from Best Female Hottie (well, duh ;)) and Best Tween Drama. So Random also won Best Tween Comedy, but the other Randoms have it. Chad escaped from their sight so he could thank me for helping him with the whole Sharona situation. He's thanked me again and again, like the overly-polite and sweet guy he is, and each time, I've assured him it was nothing. I never liked Sharona anyways.

I do like Chad though. I don't know what it is about him… but there's something attractive about him that I've never seen in another guy before. Maybe it's just the fact he hates me… it just makes me want him more? Ah, I don't know. All I know is, I like him. And I kinda want him. Coz he's hot. Really hot. And sweet. He's just… different. He doesn't treat me like a celebrity – not Sonny Munroe, the superstar. He makes me feel like the girl I was before the fame, before Melody Falls… before my life hit an awful bump and ruined everything. I shudder at the thought, and decide to just talk to Chad, to avoid thinking about my past.

"So… do you want a ride home?" I ask him, and he nods with a kind smile.

"That would be great, thanks." He says, "I don't know if the other Randoms have left already… so I'd be stuck here if they have."

I laugh, "Well in that case, c'mon!"

I grab his hand and drag him towards my car, giggling the whole way. There are only two problems with Chad. One – according to our casts, we're meant to be enemies. And two – Chad thinks we're friends. Sure, _friends _is fine – it's better than enemies, like we should be – but I do like Chad… and not in the 'buddy' way at all.

"You got it, buddy!" Chad grins, and I wince. Yup. Chad's pretty much just proved exactly what I just said… and then stabbed a knife in my back.

No, you know what, it's fine. Chad and I are friends – and that will do me just fine. I'm happy with being friends. Yup, Chad and I are friends (he's probably the best friend I've ever had) and nothing's gonna change that.

Or maybe… I'm wrong there.

The next day, I walk into the studio, and towards my dressing room, smiling. Chad and I hung out at his apartment for a little while. It was so much fun – I met Chad's Mom, and she was so nice, funny, kind… I can see where Chad gets his personality from. And then, Chad played me some guitar. Wow. _Hot. _He has the most amazing voice… it's hard to not crush on your friend/should-be enemy when he makes himself this _amazing. _

I arrive at my dressing room with a smile that disappears in an instant. I see Chastity… in my room… with the fruit basket from Chad in her hands.

* * *

><p><strong>DUN-DUN-DUHHH!<strong>

**So... what did you guys think? Review!**


	11. Suspicions and Friendships

**I'm ba-ack with another chapter!**

**I didn't much enjoy last chapter, and it didn't get too many reviews, but I wanted to get writing on this chapter, and I quite enjoyed it in the end, so... here it is! :D**

**Well, I go back to school tomorrow (I know... sad), so I may not be updating as frequently. Especially since I am starting my GCSEs, which may take a lot of work. Hopefully though, I'll still be able to talk to you guys and update, because you're all so awesome and I love talking to and writing for y'all! :D**

**Okay, I don't own SWAC, so let's get on with it! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 - Suspicions and Friendships<strong>

Sonny's POV

I'm stood, frozen at the door, for what feels like forever. Uh-oh. Chad sent me that fruit basket as a peace offering. And now, Chastity, my cast mate and Chad's enemy, has that peace offering in her hands. If she's found out about my 'friendship' with Chad… I'm doomed.

Chastity looks up at me and smiles a little. "Hey, Son!" She says, "Seems you've got a little secret admirer… I wonder who it is…"

My heart rate slows down and I inwardly sigh with relief as I realise she hasn't actually noticed the card with Chad's name on yet. Good, this means mine and Chad's friendship is still under wraps. Then I feel sick as I see Chastity begin to root through the basket.

Now, the girl in me that Chad has brought out wants to tell Chastity to not be so rude and stop rooting through my stuff. The bad girl in me is fuming though, and wants to pretty much beat her up. Unfortunately, the bad girl side of me is larger the nice girl.

"Gimme that, Chas!" I scream, running towards her and grabbing the basket, trying to snatch it off her. But Chastity is strong, for an average-looking girl, and she fights back.

"Why should I?" She asks.

"Coz it's _mine_!" I yell, "Give it!"

The two of us pull and pull until the force gets too much, and my grip slips. I tumble down off my feet and onto the couch behind me. The fruit tumbles out of the basket, along with the card, and Chastity reaches down for it. Crap.

I remember my past as a kid, in parks (yes, Sonny Munroe went to parks as a kid. I had a life before it was stolen away by my teen years), hoping it has helped prepare me for this moment. At this point, in an attempt to take back the card, I take a run-up, before diving into Chastity in a take-down style. She falls to the floor, groaning in pain, and I tumble to her side, with the note in my hands.

"What the heck, Sonny?" She yells, "What was that for?"

"This is _mine_." I say to her, shooting her a menacing glare that usually scares my cast-mates. Well, the male cast-mates. It just warns the female cast-mates and reminds them that I am the Alpha girl in this show, and can have them kicked out in a blink of an eye. "You _don't _touch it."

"Oh yeah," She gets up, smirking a little, and I suddenly feel kinda frightened. "Because your little friend _Chad _gave it to you. I saw his name is Chad, whoever he is."

I tense up a little. Crap, she knows it's Chad. Well, actually, she knows his name is Chad. Hopefully she hasn't guessed that it is specifically the Random Chad. My Chad, in other words.

"So, c'mon," Chastity coos, eager eyes nagging at me, "Who is he? Where'd you meet him? What does he mean by 'good friend'? He's your boyfriend really, right?"

I freaking_ wish. _"No." I say, "He's just some fan I met in the cafeteria." That's not entirely a lie. Of what I know, Chad is a fan of me, and I met him in the cafeteria. So no morality problems there. Not that there would be any anyway – I'd be happy to lie to Chastity. Sure, she's done me no harm, but she can be annoying. You know, quirky-annoying. If she found out Chad and I were friends, she wouldn't be mad, like the rest of my cast, but I'd still never hear the end of it.

"Alright…" She says, studying me carefully in case I crack. "So why does it mention him being a 'Random'?"

Oh, crap. She read the Random bit.

"Chas, you don't understand…" I protest.

"Oh, I understand completely…" She says, smirking, "You and the newbie Random have been hanging out, haven't you? Haha, I knew you liked him – I just _knew_ it!"

"Shut up, Chas!" I protest, "I _don't like _Chad, okay? In fact, I _hate _him! He's a stinking _Random! _Maybe you read it wrong."

Chastity shakes her head, clicking her tongue, "Nope. I'm sure I read it right. You two are good friends! I _knew _it! And I bet by 'good friends', it means something a little more…"

I growl. Now she's crossed the line. 'Good friends' doesn't mean more, but I wish it did. Of course, Chastity can't know that. She can't even know we're friends. so that's what tempts me to say this…

"Chastity, just shut up. You're wrong, okay? I don't, and will never, like that naïve newbie Random. Get _that _into your _think _head."

Chastity winces jokingly, looking me up and down. I glare at her, staring her down, and she puts her hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Son!" She says, "I was just thinking…"

"Well _don't_ think." I say, going back into bitchy diva mode, "It'll use up the little brain power you have."

"Ouch, Munroe." She says, heading for the door with a frown. It isn't real though – she looks like she could burst out laughing any minute now. She'll probably go out there and tell everyone now, that Sonny Munroe _likes, _and is _friends with, _a Random. This isn't gonna be pretty…

"Chas?" I say, just as she opens the door, and I try to look confident. But my words come out shy.

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone about this, please?" I say with a shy smile, before adding with a smirk, "Or Melody Falls with have one less Chloe."

"You got it, Son." She says, smiling, before leaving the room, and I relax. Chastity, though a Falls girl and a very gossip-loving person, would never tell people something if I didn't want her to. Beside Chad, she's possibly my best friend. Plus, she's kind, she's sweet… she's not like the other ego-maniacs in this show. In fact, she's probably the one who would fit in the best with the Randoms – she doesn't make as many crude remarks about them… once she even organised a 'Peace Picnic' to bond the two shows together, just like Chad's bowling game, but it didn't work, as you can probably guess. **(Yes, Chastity is the Sonny-like girl in this story, I suppose…)**

I sigh, collapsing into my couch and plugging my earphones in for a few minutes, before my name is called for rehearsals.

Chastity's POV **(This is a first! :D)**

I head out of Sonny's dressing room and towards the So Random stage with a slight smile.

I knew it. Ever since Sonny's plan to bring Chad over to the Falls, I always knew she liked him, and that maybe he liked her. It was only a matter of time before they became friends, or, if my hunch is correct, more than friends.

So here's my plan. Go talk to Chad, see what I can learn from him about him and Sonny, and then try my best to get them to admit that they like each other, to each other.

This is gonna be awesome! **(Another hint that Chastity's like Sonny – meddling. Or Chas-ing it up. Na… it's not the same. Uh… ignore me…)**

I arrive at the So Random stage, trying to avoid attention. Luckily, none of the Randoms are in the hallways, which makes my passage to Chad's dressing room easy. I arrive at his room and knock gently, praying he is in there, and indeed, the _only_ person in there. After a few seconds, he opens the door, looking a little troubled. Whatever's troubling him, it doesn't clear up when he notices me.

"Chastity?" He whisper-yells, and I nod.

"I need to talk to you about something…" I say, before hearing a noise. I look behind me to check that no-one's in the halls, before turning back to Chad and lowering my voice a little, "…alone."

He wrinkles his brow, confused, before letting me in anyway, and he closes the door behind me before sitting on a beige couch in the middle of the room, ushering me to sit with him.

"So wassup?" He asks after I've taken the seat, "But make it quick. I've already been yelled at by my cast once today for spending time with one of you Falls kids."

My ears perk up at this. Could he mean Sonny?

"Oh, really?" I ask, an innocent tone in my voice, and I add the innocent smile. What? Can't I do a little act outside work? I'm sure good enough for it I mean, sure, I'm not as bigheaded as my cast members, but when you're hanging around egos, you start to, uh, _appreciate_ your own. Maybe a little too much, in some cases (cough, Sonny Munroe, cough).

"Really." Chad says with a confused glare, "And I'm not gonna tell you _who, _if that's what you wanted…"

"Oh, that's a shame…" I pout, tugging a little at his collar. Okay, so I don't mean to be seductive, but it is kinda convincing. He pushes me off, like you would with an annoying puppy, before looking away. I feel him tense up a little, and I feel a little bad for obviously making him upset about something.

After a brief pause, he speaks again. "Please… don't, Chastity." He stammers, "I, um, I like someone else. I mean, you're a nice girl… but I kinda have a crush on someone that I'm dealing with right now."

"Oh, right…" I say, trying to hide a smile. "Wanna tell me who? I could help."

"Ah, yeah." He says with a smirk, "Sunshine told me about your little meddling habits."

I gasp, offended. Sunshine told him about my meddling habits? Who is this Sunshine? What made her think I have meddling… wait…

"_Son_shine?" I repeat, a little giggle peering out with my words. Chad suddenly gets very tense, and he begins to stutter.

"Uh… y-yeah…" He says, "It's our nickname for Sonny, in So Random. Um, just a joke, you know?"

"I get it." I lie. I mean, sure, I get the whole "Sonshine" thing, but something tells me it isn't a secret nickname for Sonny from the Randoms. More a secret nickname for Sonny from her… "good friend". At that moment, the intercom informs all Melody Falls staff to head to rehearsals, and so I sigh. I guess my investigation will have to wait…

Rehearsals pass quick, and that's good. Honestly, they're getting more and more boring, and the plotlines are way too predictable. I think even Little Miss Sonshine is starting to agree. But something interesting _does _happen after rehearsals…

I see Sonny leave the stage, sneakily, making sure no-one's watching, and, being the curious person I am, I follow her, of course. And then, I see her go into So Random, towards Chad's dressing room, and I smile.

I knew it all along.

Sonny's POV

I spend the whole of today's rehearsals panicking about what happened with Chastity. Okay, so Chastity is trustworthy – I know she won't tell anyone about me and Chad, not that there is a me and Chad (apart from in the friendship side of things) – but what happens if someone else, who is slightly less trustworthy, finds out? Mine and Chad's reputations will be ruined, not to mention our friends would hate it, and us. I can't risk that, for either of us.

So that's when I come to the decision that I need to talk to Chad.

After rehearsals, I head to Stage 3, checking that no-one follows me. I try to avoid any of the Randoms noticing me, which means I have to take the "scenic" route (aka, behind the studio, past the yucky trash cans), to his dressing room, where I suspect he'll be. Either there, or the Prop House with the other Randoms, which is not what I want, at all.

I arrive at Chad's dressing room, knocking quietly, in case the other Randoms boys hear, because they're dressing room is opposite Chad's. After a few seconds, the door opens, and my face falls when I see Cloudy and Rainy stood there.

Oh… crap.

They both gasp when they see me, before their faces are set in firm scowls. It's then I realise I have to do some acting. I cross my arms and send them a scowl right back.

"What are you doing here, _Munroe_?" The taller guy says and I pretend like I didn't hear him. I push past to see Chad sat on the couch, scowling at me, and I feel upset, before I see the sparkle in his eye and realise he's acting too. Boy, he's good. He even had me fooled for a second!

"Hey!" Chad growls, "What makes you think you have the right to just waltz in here like you own the place? You're not welcome here, y'know."

I shrug, smirking cockily. "Like I could care less. It's like I wanna be here anyways, but I need to talk to Chad about _last night_."

The two boy's eyebrows raise in confusion. "What about last night?" The blonde one asks.

"Not that it's any of your business…" I growl at them, "But your little _friend _here called me last night pretending to be some guy with an _undying love _for me."

"Oh, really?" The blonde guy asks, as Chad gets up, smirking a little. He raises his hands in defeat.

"Well, obviously, Grady, a certain girl can't take a _joke._"

I scoff, "I can so take a joke. In fact, I _adore_ jokes. That's why I don't watch your show."

Chad rolls his eyes, "Well, you've obviously never been _pranked _before, Sonshine." He says, adding the little nickname he gave me last night. Obviously, he doesn't mean it like a sweet little pet-name.

"I think we should leave you alone…" One of the guys says, backing out of the door with the other in tow, and we watch them, before bursting out laughing and collapsing on the couch. I then cover my mouth as a snort comes out, hoping the Randoms boys didn't hear. Chad walks over to the door to check, before coming back and giving me a thumbs up.

"Do you think they bought it?" He asks, and I smirk.

"Hook, line, and sinker." I wink as he slumps back on the couch, grinning at me.

"So, why did you really come?" He asks, "Were you just looking for trouble?"

I tense up as I remember my real reasoning for coming. "Yeah… about that…" I say, "I just wondered… I've been having a little problem with Chastity."

Chad frowns, "What kind of problem?"

"Well… she found the fruit basket." I say, and he cringes.

"Oops."

"Oops indeed."

"Does she know about… you know… us?"

I tingle a little at that word. _Us. _I darn-right _wish_. "Well, I tried to convince her it was just from some random fan, but she didn't seem too persuaded…"

Chad sighs, slumping back in the couch and rubbing his forehead. "I'm having the same kinda problems." He groans, "You know last night, when I went home in the car with you?" I nod, "Well, my friends were really freaking out about it. I just said I needed a ride and they weren't around."

"Oh…" Is pretty much all I can muster up.

"And then," Chad continues, "Chastity came into my dressing room earlier… I mentioned you and said "Sonshine" and she almost exploded with knowingness."

I shrug, "I guess we should've known this friendship was gonna be dangerous."

"Yeah…" Chad sighs, looking at me with his sparkling blue orbs. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know…" I murmur. To be honest, I think we should just stop being friends. But… I can't stop being friends with _Chad. _The last few days where we've had a truce have been the best days of my life since before the Falls, and I don't want it to end now…

Too late. Chad's already considering it himself, by the looks of things. He's sat there, with a puzzled look on his face, before he looks up at me and frowns.

"Sonny…" He groans, "I guess we'll just have to go back to being enemies."

My heart drops from it's rightful place in my chest to my boots as I hear that word. _Enemies. _That is something I've never wanted to be with Chad, even when I first met him. Inside, I've always thought he was sweet, kind, good-looking… and I wanted to be his girlfriend. And okay, maybe that won't happen, but I still need him as a friend. I _really_ need him…

"We can't!" I yell uncontrollably, and Chad frowns.

"Why not?"

"Because, I…" _Because I need someone like you in my life. My life is a freaking _hellhole_ and you keep me sane. I've wanted you from the minute I saw you, and you are possibly the best friend I've had in years. I've wanted us to be more than friends but obviously you don't feel the same way, so being just friends is really good enough for me. Just please… don't leave me. _

I sigh. "Fine. I'll get out of here."

I get up and head to the door. Chad follows, slightly dazed, but looking slightly mad. Almost like we'd never been friends in the first place. .

"Fine." He says.

"Good."

"Good."

I give him one last glance at the door, before leaving, slamming it behind me.

* * *

><p>I suffer through the rest of rehearsals. I wish I could say I love my job. Sure, it's okay – it's better than life at home – but everywhere I go, outside of home, I'm expected to be this polished, bigheaded show-off who only cares about herself. That's the stupid rep I've invented for myself. And guess what? It's all to keep me safe.<p>

Before Chad and I decided to not be friends anymore, there were only two places I could really be myself. Around him, and at home. Now, I can only be myself at home. And that really isn't the safest place in the world… I hate it.

I get in my car after rehearsals, rain pouring, which is different. I guess it reflects my mood. Down, crappy… at least when it's raining, my tears are disguised. I don't cry often, because my rep doesn't allow it. And I know this is sounding stereotypical and putting a downer on everything… but trust me, I have my reasons.

I arrive home, parking the car, and I open the door to be greeted by the welcome party themselves – Mom and my step-dad, fighting as usual. In fact, they fight for so long, I'm pretty sure the first time my mother notices my presence is four hours later, when I head up to bed, hungry from the lack of dinner. I would cook it myself, if Mom and Johnny weren't screaming at each other in there. I walked in there earlier, and the place looked like a flipping war zone.

"Allie?" Mom says as I trudge up the stairs at 10pm, and I groan, pausing half way. I'm pretty sure my family are the only people who call me "Allie" nowadays. My Mom hates the Sonny Munroe persona I've made for myself, but hey, that persona is slightly her fault. If she hadn't been so hard on my Dad, maybe he'd have stayed…

"Yes?" I grumble.

"When did you arrive home?"

I sigh, "About four hours ago, _mother. _Thanks for dinner, by the way."

Before she can complain at me about anything else, I run upstairs and lock the door to my room behind me. To be honest, I'd rather just stay here for the rest of my life. I sigh, before looking down to my wrist and cringing. Stretching across the wrist is a scar, a scar that was made to take away any pain I've ever felt. I've stopped cutting now – ever since I've been getting close to Chad, I realised it was a stupid thing to do to myself, but the scar is still there. And that scar, along with the pain of what I've been through, will never go away.

I suddenly hear my phone ring in my jeans pocket. I take it out, to see the caller ID is Chad Dylan Cooper. I feel my thumb reach for the call button, but I pull it back in the last second and hit the reject call button. I can't talk to him right now… it would be too painful. I've already suffered through enough pain to last me fifty lifetimes, thank you very much.

I take a deep breath in, and then out, trying to calm myself as I hear the screams from my so-called "parents" downstairs. I haven't thrown away the knife yet – I completely forgot to do so – but I don't want to start cutting again. It was a nasty habit. So I start to breathe, blocking out the rest of the world – Chad, my Mom, Johnny, Melody Falls, the Randoms… and soon enough, I'm in deep sleep.

Chad's POV

I've felt awful ever since I rejected Sonny earlier. I told her that maybe it would be best if we weren't friends anymore; because of the dangers it put to each of us. For me – because if my friends found out I was cool with their worse enemy, they'd hate me, and for Sonny – because if her cast found out about us, it would put an end to her bad girl rep. Sonny isn't all bad girl, but I know without the rep, she'd suffer.

And yet, though you'd think Sonny would agree with me on this, she didn't seem to like it. I saw the look in her eyes when I told her we should be enemies again – she was crushed. I've been thinking it over, trying to decide whether she was really upset or not, and I've hit a dead end. So, I decide to call Sonny, to talk to her, to see if she's mad at me and see if I can apologise if she is. Sure, maybe we won't become friends again because of the whole enemies thing, but I just hope we can sort this out. I just wanna know where I stand, I suppose.

I call her number, waiting a few seconds, before the call goes to voice mail.

"Hi there! You've reached TV's Sonny Munroe! I'm busy right now, so please leave a message after the tone."

I sigh, "Hey, Sonny, it's Chad. Uh, I just wanted to talk to you about being enemies again. Look, I know, I don't want it to be this way either, but please, just try to hear me out. Sorry again. Okay, I'll go now. Bye."

I hang up, silently worrying to myself about if she's okay. I sure hope she is – Sonny's a tough cookie – but after everything that's been going on, I can't be too sure.

I decide in the end just to get to sleep. Only time will tell, I suppose.

I'm in half-sleep mode, and I swear I would've gone off, if my phone hadn't rung at that moment. I pick it up and answer with a groggy "hello?", unsure of the person I'm talking to.

"Hello there, Chad." The voice replies, "This is Tween Weekly's Santiago Heraldo. I know it's short notice, but the show's producers would love to have you on this week's show."

I have to re-run his words in my head to make sure I heard them right.

"That – that would be great!" I reply.

"Okay!" Santiago says cheerfully, "I'll be down at So Random tomorrow afternoon. See you then!"

"Can't wait!" I reply, hanging up and hoping I didn't sound too desperate for attention on that last bit, before drifting back into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Heehee :) So you can probably guess, that chapter was based on nothing, but I just wanted to put it in there. Next chapter will be based on Fast Friends, so that one should be fun.<strong>

**Oh, and sorry for the whole 'Sonny cutting' thing. Bit of angst there. But it's sweet that Chad made her stop, right? **

**Anyways... review? That would be lovely of you guys. I want more reviews than last time... yeah! ;)**

**~Amy x**


	12. Good Friends and Bad Reps

**Hey! So, first of all... I am SO SO SO SO SO sorry that I haven't updated anything in about 10 days, but I have a good excuse - school. Ugh, I know. **

**So, to pay back for it, I've wrote a lovely long chapter for you all. REALLY long. Like, 6000 words WITHOUT the A/Ns. I know... crazy long. **

**I also apologise for the amount of times the word 'b*tch' comes up in this story and this chapter. I noticed how often it shows up in there :P**

**Enjoy! I don't own SWAC!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 - Good Friends and Bad Reps<strong>

Sonny's POV

I wake up the next morning, feeling so crappy; I almost confused it for an illness. Sadly, it isn't an illness – it's just that horrible pain of rejection hanging around in my stomach. I hate that feeling – rejection. I've felt it way too often in my short life so far. And I was reminded of it last night. I've had some pretty awful nightmares in the last few years, but this was the worse.

_I was in a room, a dark, quiet room. A light was flickered on and I saw the image of my father. He was smiling, laughing, and it made me remember the days before he left. When I was young, free, happy. _

_But that image didn't last long. It faded pretty quick, to be replaced with one of my mother, my father, and a small ten-year-old girl with brunette locks and big brown eyes, watching her parents scream at each other. That little girl is me. With tears in her eyes, brimming up, spilling out. I rarely cry any more – my rep won't let me – but I did wake up later on from my dream to a wet face, wet from the tears. _

_The image faded once again, to an image of my dad, walking away, and that same little girl from before. Bubbly, happy, free… I can barely recognise her nowadays. That girl is as good as gone. She had no idea where her father was going, what he was doing. She was so innocent… she had no idea what the rest of her life had in store for her._

_The next image was of that same girl, a few years older, maybe thirteen years, stood in front of her house with her best friend at the time. _

"_C'mon, Allie," Her friend moaned, "Why are so moody nowadays?"_

_The girl turned to face her friend with a threatening glare. "You fully-well know the reason, Tawni!"_

_The blonde gasped, flicking her hair, before smirking. "Oh, right," She said, "It's because you're upset that you've been rejected by your own father."_

_Hearing those words again was like having a piece of glass jabbed down my throat. The brunette girl slapped her friend on the cheek – she flipping deserved it._

"_What the hell was that for?" The blonde yelled, grabbing her cheek which was a slight shade of pink underneath the hand. The nasty part inside her friend took a grim satisfaction in Tawni's pain. _

"_For being a total bitch!" The first girl cried. That was the first time she'd ever swore, especially to one of her friends. _

"_It's not my fault little Princess Allie is unloved by her own father!" The so-called best friend scowled, causing the brunette to slam the front door in her face. She ran upstairs, slammed the door behind her, listening to her mother knock on the door, begging to come in. Allie wouldn't let her, though. She didn't want a heart-to-heart with her mother. The two people she cared most about in the world had deserted her – she didn't know why her father had left, but she had a pretty good idea her best friend was being horrible because of… certain _influences_. _

_The next image was a few years on. The brunette was different – she had changed so much. And she was now known as Sonny, or more preferred by her ego – Sonny Munroe, the greatest and most beautiful (and most self-obsessed) actress of her generation. And she hated it. But she needed Sonny Munroe – if she didn't have this strong, independent persona, she would need someone else to lean on. And it was most likely, in her experiences, that the people she leaned on would always push her away, leaving her stranded and lonely. And that hurt the girl, more than anything. _

_The problem is – she's beginning to lean on someone. Chad was becoming my good friend, and he pushed me away. And that hurt. It also inspired the next image of the dream – Chad and me, in my room. I confessed everything to him, my past, my persona, my true feelings… and he laughed and shoved me away once again, tossed me to the ground like a piece of trash, repeating the words from that time with Tawni when I was thirteen years old.._

"_Princess Sonny is unloved by her own father? No-one cares about the girl who only cares about herself! Sonny Munroe… lonely? Pathetic. For someone who can talk the talk… she has no-one to back her up. Ha, what a loser…"_

Chad's words are what wake me up in a hot sweat. I know they weren't really _his _words, and I know he of all people wouldn't say them to me. But they reminded me of something – I invented this Sonny Munroe persona to keep myself safe from harm. If people don't get too close to me, I won't be hurt. If I'm not hurt by someone else, I won't want to harm myself (you know… cutting). Sure, Chad's a good guy, but I have no guarantee that one day, if we were friends, he'd just pack up and take off, back to Wisconsin. If Chad left, and he was my friend, my rock… I don't know what I'd do. All I know is I can't have someone close to me leave me again, which is what will happen if I get too close to anyone. Even Chad. _Especially _Chad.

So that's why I've decided to go along with this 'just enemies' thing. Sure, it's not what I want, but it's what I _need_.

* * *

><p>The ultimate test of this decision comes later that morning, when Chad turns up outside my dressing room. I open the door to him, keeping a straight face, taking quiet deep breaths to keep my tears at bay.<p>

"Hey, Sonny…" He says, an apologetic look on his face. Okay, enemies… I can do this…

"What do you want, Random?" I ask, sounding bored, not snappy. Which is good, because I don't wanna yell at Chad. It's not his fault my father and Tawni wrecked my social life.

Chad's eyebrows furrow with confusion. "I just wanted to apologise for yesterday. It's just… you know… we have to be enemies, because…"

"Because you're just a silly little Random and I'm Sonny Munroe, the greatest and most beautiful actress this studio has ever seen?"

Chad blinks, "Right… well, I guess I'll get out of here."

"You do that." I say, shutting the door on him. I feel kinda bad after doing so, before realising – I don't care. Why should I? I'm Sonny Munroe, for crying out loud!

Chad's POV

After trying to apologise to Sonny that morning (who seems to be going along fine with this whole 'enemies' thing), I head to the Prop House, where I'm gonna wait for Santiago Heraldo for my very first interview on my own… sure, it's gonna be a little scary, but I'm also really excited!

To be honest, though I'm excited for this interview, my mind is on… other things. The main one (heck, the only one) being Sonny and how she reacted when I showed up at her dressing room earlier. She seemed so tense, like she was forcing this whole enemies thing. I can tell by the way she acted that she doesn't like being enemies – I don't either – but I guess it's just something we have to do. For the sake of my friends and her career.

I walk into the Prop House, where Meatball Monday is being enjoyed by Nico and Grady – not so much Tawni. She's busy applying lip gloss, as usual. I decide to make myself noticed.

"Hey, guys!" I say, grinning. Nico and Grady look up from their meatball sandwiches and smile.

"Hey, wanna sandwich?" Nico asks, and nod, taking a little bite from one of the un-eaten sandwiches on the table. Sure, I don't want to get meatballs all over my shirt coz I wanna look good for the interview, but meatball sandwiches are my favourites!

"So, Chad," Tawni says, not looking up from her mirror, "I heard you've got an interview with Tween Weekly today?"

"He does?" The two boys ask, confused, and I laugh.

"Yup." I turn to Tawni, "How did you know?"

Tawni shrugs, "I heard from Zora. And you know Zora – she knows _everything_."

I suddenly feel very uncomfortable. Does Zora have cameras in my house or something? Is that how she found out? Creepy…

"Anyways, that means I need to talk to you about something." She continues, looking up from her nails for the first time since I walked in the room.

"Which is…?"

"Watch what you say during the interview. You really _don't _wanna look bad on camera."

"Oh…" I say. Is Tawni trying to protect me or something? Huh, that's very thoughtful of her. "Thanks for the concern, Tawni, but I'll be fine."

"Oh, I'm not concerned." She shrugs, "I just know if you mess up, I'll have to be the one who cleans up your mess. And Tawni Hart does not clean up."

I roll my eyes as she flicks her hair, before two men walk into the Prop House, one carrying a camera. The other man scans the room, before looking at me and smiling.

"Chad?" He says, "You ready?"

"Sure!" I say, waving a bye to my friends and heading to follow them out the door. But on my way out, I'm pretty sure I hear that blonde haired designer label mix say;

"Good luck! You'll need it…"

Sonny's POV

Later on that day, morning rehearsals are over and I'm in the cafeteria, snootily picking at my food. That's when I notice a man with a camera and two other figures and I realise that one of the figures is Chad Dylan Cooper. Sat opposite him is none other than Santiago Heraldo, the man who had the first interview with 'Melody Falls's Sonny Munroe'.

"There's that jerk from Tween Weekly TV…" I murmur to my cast-mates, watching Chad laugh with the two Tween Weekly men, "The guy who made me look like a total bitch… and only because I shoved a dog… but it was slobbering all over me and I was wearing this new dress… and it was a girl dog so technically _she _was the bitch…"

It's only this point when I notice that I'm babbling – correction – Sonny Munroe is babbling. Huh. I suppose _the _Sonny Munroe really is back. Ugh, I hate _the_ Sonny Munroe… why does she have to be so hated? Wait… what if she wasn't hated? What if she had some _good _publicity? Maybe she'd, I mean, I'd be a little more liked… well, it's worth a shot.

"This is gonna be perfect." I mumble to myself, getting up, abandoning my lobster and taking my yet-to-be-drunk-out-of soda cup. Let's get this thing started!

I approach Chad with a grin on my face. I reach their table, putting a friendly arm around him and shooting him my megawatt smile. Yup, Sonny Munroe definitely is back.

"Hey there, Chaddy!" I chirp. Chad looks up at me with a cute confused look on his face. Stupid cute. "You looked a lil' thirsty, so I thought I'd bring you a soda!"

I place the soda in front of him and he smiles, picking it up warily.

"Gee, thanks, Sonny…" He says, "…This isn't poisoned, is it?"

I burst out laughing, (maybe laughing a little too hard) and whacking him supportively on the back. "You are so funny!" I coo, "I suppose that's what got you on a comedy show, right?"

"Uh…" Chad blinks, speechless, "Right…"

It's this moment when I pretend to 'only just notice' the camera and Santiago. I look at them with a shocked smile and squeak, "Oh, Santiago, I didn't see you there! Are you guys in the middle of an interview? I am so sorry…"

Chad rolls his eyes, placing the soda cup back on the table. "What was your first clue, Sonny?" He asks sarcastically. I don't answer his question though. I take a seat next to him, smiling charmingly at the camera. "Why don't you join us?" Chad groans, and I try not to laugh. This is what you get for messing with my feelings, Cooper!

"Don't mind if I do, buddy!"

"Wait, lemme get this straight…" Santiago says, clearing his throat to get our attention, "New guy from Wisconsin is close with the Hollywood bad girl?" His eyebrows raise, and you can tell by the tone in his voice that he's wishing this is true, just for the publicity. Well, let's give him what he wants then…

"I wouldn't say we're close…" Chad shrugs, but before he can say anything else, I hug him and smile directly into the camera.

"We're just the best of friends!" I sing. Chad blinks.

"A-actually, we can't stand each other."

Uh oh. He's gonna wreck my plan! I start laughing to cover Chad's words, tapping him on the shoulder again.

"Stop it, Chad!" I giggle, "You are too funny! And so sweet…" I then turn to the camera, stopping myself from ranting too much about what I like about Chad. If I hadn't, this could've been a long and potentially embarrassing moment, "See, that's why Chad here is my favourite cast member of So Random!"

Chad looks at me, scanning me cautiously before smiling and blushing.

"Really?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yeah!" I say, before turning back to Santiago and the camera, Sonny Munroe's favourite thing in the world. "Santiago, you are one lucky guy to be getting this interview! I mean, this kid's destined for big things – this is not the last we'll hear of Chad Dylan Cooper."

Chad glares at me; this time, he seems surprised, and very bewildered.

"Sonny, are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

I chuckle light-heartedly, "No, I'm being serious!" I say, "You're going places, m'friend!" It's this moment when I notice my cast leaving for rehearsals. "Speaking of, I've gotta go."

"Let me guess…" Santiago smirks as I get up, "You've got a dog or two to shove?"

I scoff, putting on a smile as I bite my tongue to try and stop myself from saying something spiteful.

"Um, yeah…" I say, "Shoving them towards… bowls of food that I lovingly prepared for them." _Yeah, that works! _"You know why? I love dogs, all dogs, so many dogs… including the females, even though they're called bitches!"

Boom. The minute I say that, I feel like a total idiot. _Even though they're called bitches? You moron, you just swore on tweens TV when you were trying to make yourself look better! And if that was meant to be a joke, it was a crap one. _I know! I'd suck on So Random, whatever.

"Well, I'm out! Peace out suckahs…" I say, trying to save whatever dignity and bearing I've lost there.

Doesn't work. At all. I still feel like a total twit. Nice one, Munroe. I saw the look Santiago gave me – he wasn't buying my little act, not one bit.

Fan_tastic._

"Sonny!"

I turn around at the sound of my name to see him, as innocent and cute-looking as ever.

"Chad." I say, hoping he's not gonna grill me about what just happened. It's already been embarrassing, but if I then got insulted by the least-insulting guy ever? I wouldn't be able to show my face again. Ever. And no, I'm not being melodramatic. I try to regain a nonchalant posture so that he doesn't see my embarrassment, and I think he buys it.

"Did you really mean what you said back there?" He asks, "About feeding the dogs?"

Wait. Chad still thinks I meant all that? So I'm not out of the game here!

"Uh, yeah! Of course! Who would lie about that?"

Chad smiles, "That's… really cool. I'm impressed."

I shrug, "Well, it's just something I like to do that says that I care about the world, Chad."

"Well, Munroe…" He grins, "I never thought I'd see this side of you… but I kinda like it."

"Cool." I say. I find myself grinning at his dimples that grow with his smile, and hide my blushes with a curtain of over-glossy hair. "I guess I'll catch you later then?"

"Yeah, sure." He says, turning back to the cafeteria, to his interview. I can't help what escapes from my mouth next…

"Good."

Chad pauses in his tracks. I can hear the chuckle in his words.

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

He turns back, giving me one last annoyingly cute smile, before continuing to the cafeteria.

_Why do I feel like this? _I question myself as I feel my heart triple in speed at Chad's smile, _It's not like I liked him. Sure, I did before, but I was going through a phase then, I suppose. And I'm using him right now… so I can't have these feelings for him._

…_He's my enemy…_

* * *

><p>Later on, after I've taken a break and convinced myself that I don't like Chad, I'm heading towards Chad's dressing room, where I'm hoping he still has the attention of the camera. Sure, so take 1 of Operation Get Better Publicity didn't go too well, but take 2 will hopefully work like a charm. The difference this time – I've brought back-up in the form of a fluffy, wet, panting Shih Tzu that smells of pee. Yuck. But hey, this is what you do for good publicity in Hollywood. Or at least, when you're as stupidly desperate as me.<p>

And now I'm off to make myself look like a dog-loving goody two shoes.

Yippee.

I approach Chad's door, where I hear him and Santiago talking, and decide to, uh, _accidentally _interrupt.

"Knock-knock." I sing, opening the door with a smile, "Guess who?"

"Oh, hey Sonny." Chad says, looking at me with a puzzled appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I said I'd catch you later!" I say, before dramatically adding with a giggle "And here I am!"

Chad laughs, looking from me to the creature slobbering in my hands. Yuck…

"Who's this little guy?" He asks, before coming closer, leaning in and stroking the dog, babbling, "Who's a good boy, huh? Who's a good boy?"

I try not to laugh at his childish tone, "It's Fluffy, one of the hungry dogs I feed." I then 'happen to notice' the camera again, and groan. "Darn! Another camera – I've done it again!"

Chad chuckles, rolling his eyes lightly. "I used to have a dog just like this little guy back home in Wisconsin… only he had one eye and three legs. And he was deaf too. His name was Lucky." **(Gassie Passes reference :P)**

I blink, confused and slightly amused by the tale of Chad's dog. "He wasn't exactly lucky was he? Maybe you shoulda called him 'Unlucky'.

Another eye roll is shot my way, but Chad isn't being rude. He's laughing.

He's still buying this good-girl act.

He strokes the dog a little longer, mumbling stuff like "aw, you're so cool! You're a good boy, huh?" and I start to wonder what it's like to have a dog. Meh, off subject.

"Can I hold him?" Chad asks, pouting slightly, and he starts to remind me of a dog. Not one like this one though, which stinks of pee and was rented just so it could be used. Na, he seems like one of those family pets who beg for food under the table. Haha, cute.

"Sure!" I say, passing him the dog. It wiggles slightly as we exchange it from hand to hand, before settling itself into Chad's arms. It looks safe, secure, untouchable in his arms. Huh, I suppose me and this dog have more in common than expected. We both feel safe when we're around Chad.

The dog then barks, making Chad smirk and me jump, and I regain my posture and grin at what a good carer Chad is. Darn it, why does this boy have to be so perfect?

"I think he likes you." I comment, "Which isn't too hard to believe. You're very likable."

Chad smirks, laughing a little. "Wow. That's very kind of you to say, Sonny."

I shrug, trying to stop pride radiating from me. But then, me being Sonny Munroe, that's a hard thing to do. Darn me being Sonny Munroe. Why did I have to be cursed with a life that lead to me having to change everything about myself just to keep myself safe?

"Well, it never hurts to be nice, Chaddy." I say, slightly absentmindedly.

"I have to admit…" Chad says, the laugh fading and being replaced with a serious smile. I suddenly feel very, very hot. Ugh, I hate how much I like this guy. "I'm really starting to like this version of you."

I sigh. Chad doesn't know that 'this version of me' is the real me. Well, it used to be me. Not anymore. I begin to question myself about why I haven't told him about it yet, but then I remember – I can't get too close. He'll just end up hurting me. Being Chad, he won't mean to hurt me… but he will hurt me. And I hate that.

"Guys, we're having a problem with the camera." Santiago says, interrupting me from my thoughts. He and the cameraman leave, and I look to my watch with a sigh. I promised I'd get the dog back by 2:00pm, and it's 1:30pm. It'll take me a while to find the dog pound, coz it's out in the countryside somewhere, so I should probably leave. Plus, there's no camera anymore, so what's the point of staying to make myself look better when there's no-one, bar Chad, to look better in front of.

"Well, sorry to separate you and your new best friend, Chaddy…" I say, earning a laugh from Chad, "But I've gotta go."

Chad blinks, frozen as I take the dog from his arms. The dog squirms about and I almost drop it, cursing in my head. Luckily, the dog stays secure in my arms, which I'm glad of. I may have fooled them into believing I'm nice this time, but what if Santiago came back at that exact moment I dropped the dog? First puppy-shover, then puppy-_dropper_? Yikes.

"Go?" Chad asks, disappointed, puzzled but still smiling, "You only just got here."

"Yeah," I say, trying to make up an excuse, "But now I need to go, so…"

"Wait…" Chad frowns a little. His eyebrows furrow and he crosses his now puppy-less arms. "This doesn't have anything to do with the camera breaking, does it?"

Crap. He's sussing me out.

"It does!" He gasps.

"It's not the only reason." I assure him, hoping he doesn't figure out my plan and then interfere with it. Chad may be nice, but he's a Random. And he's very close to the other Randoms. Either he'll sabotage me to get the respect of the Randoms, or he'll tell them and _they'll _sabotage me.

"Lemme guess, the dog's a rental?"

Crap. Crap, crap, crap…

Chad gasps, a look of distaste and disappointment on his face. "The dog's a rental?"

I then find a horrible taste in my mouth. Chad's staring me down… he looks so frustrated, so upset… so disappointed with me. It makes me feel very, very stupid.

"I can't believe you…" He says, "You've just been trying to use me to make yourself look better! I'm such an idiot…"

I start to feel awful. He's not the idiot – I'm the idiot for even coming up with this stupid plan.

"You're not an idiot." I say, putting an arm around Chad, but he pushes me off, irritated. He shoots me a menacing glare, and I try to look into his azure eyes, but they're dark, fiery, and it's impossible to, so I look down to my feet to avoid eye contact.

"You're unbelievable…" He says, "To think I actually believed you were being _nice_… but no! Nothing matters, in the world of Sonny Munroe!"

I bite my lip. I wish I could tell him – tell him that a lot of things matter to me. Including – especially – him. But no. I can't, and I won't.

"Chad, I'd love to talk about this, but I need to go take the dog back…"

Oops. Wrong words. Chad glares at me, angrily, threateningly, and I know I've made the worse decision I've ever made around Chad – to be _the _Sonny Munroe.

"You… you… you poser!" He yells. I can now see he's way past disappointed with me – he's furious. I try to calm him, putting an arm on his shoulder, but he shoves it off again. "_Don't_ touch me." He says sternly, and my mouth drops open at his tone. I've never seen Chad so… so… _angry. _"I don't know why I ever took pity on you – you're the most shallow, self-absorbed, conceited bitch that I've ever had the misfortune to meet. Just get out of here now, so I don't have to look at you."

Chad glares me up and down, and I feel sick. How could he say all those things? It's just so… _not _Chad to be like this. I must've really hurt him.

But then… he's hurt me, by saying all those things. I open my mouth to protest to his words, to ask him why he's so mad at me, but then slam it shut. What am I supposed to do? Apologise? Fat chance he'll listen to me…

So that's it. I should just leave, now, before Chad starts to yell at me again.

I'm shocked at what – who – I see by the door. Santiago and the cameraman, grinning.

"Wait…" Chad blinks, "Were you filming that?"

"Oh, yes." Santiago says triumphantly.

"But… I thought the camera broke." Chad offers meekly.

"This is a different camera." Santiago explains, and I hear a small gasp from Chad. Well, well, well… what is this little confrontation looked like from Santiago's point of view? From the rest of America's point of view?

"How much of it did you get?" I ask, and Santiago shrugs.

"Just the part where he lashed out at you."

Whoa, hold the phone… this means that I seem like the victim in this situation! Well, to Santiago, to the viewers. To them, I'm no longer the bad guy. At least, not after that. In a split second, I make my decision of how to play this game.

"It hurt so much!" I proclaim, wiping my eyes to dry the fake tears. "Excuse me…" I then leave the room hastily, wiping my eyes again, feeling very, very bad.

Chad did nothing wrong. It was me. And by this time tomorrow, everyone in America is gonna think he's the bad guy.

Oops.

Chad's POV

Sonny Munroe… why did I ever like her? Why did I ever care for her? Why did I even _think _that she was a good person? Well, that was one of my biggest mistakes ever – believing that Sonny could change.

I actually believed her before – I thought she was changing. She was being nice to me, and not just today, in the cafeteria, but beforehand. The thing with Erica, the time when I had to do better in Math… she's been kind to me before. And it was all just an _act_.

So earlier, I was so mad at her for everything, that I lashed out, yelled at her, and then the cameras witnessed it. And now I'm sat on the couch in the Prop House, watching Tween Weekly, praying that they don't show the… incident.

All the others are in the room, watching too, and when I see the scene from my dressing room, I recognise it straight away.

Crap.

"_You poser! Don't touch me. I don't know why I ever took pity on you – you're the most shallow, self-absorbed, conceited bitch that I've ever had the misfortune to meet. Just get out of here now, so I don't have to look at you."_

Santiago then shows on the screen. _"An out-of-control jerk. A broken sweetheart. It's the clash of the stars, and someone is taking it a little too far. For Tween Weekly TV…"_

I turn it over. I cannot watch this anymore.

"I can't believe this… an out-of-control jerk? Me?"

Tawni giggles, "I told you to watch what you said, or they could make you look bad."

"And they did." I shrug. "Why are you so excited about it?"

"Because this is where I would usually say 'I told you so'. So… I told you so!"

I roll my eyes. Typical Tawni.

"But don't worry – I know how to fix this. Do what I do when I want revenge – fight fire with fire." **(Yeah… I couldn't be bothered to do the whole 'press conference' bit. I wanted to update tonight and this chapter is probably gonna be long enough as it is)**

Fight fire with fire? Hmm… now that I think about it, that can easily be done. I heard Sonny's building dog houses for homeless dogs in the park today, so maybe I could go in there and 'just be nice', aka, steal her good publicity. Sure, I don't believe in messing with people, but after what Sonny did, she deserves it.

An hour or so later, I'm walking in the park with Zora's older brother's dog that he let me borrow (uh, correction – that _Zora_ let me borrow…), in some old clothes that I used to wear for work in Wisconsin. Yeah, when I could, I'd do a little work in the hardware field. I had some job working for a guy who knew his way around the craft, but I didn't enjoy it. It was just for the money. I knew I wanted to be something else… something bigger. And I am something bigger now; just everyone thinks I'm a jerk since this morning. Hopefully though, that rep won't be around for long, if Tawni's plan works right.

After walking for a while, I notice Sonny, leaning casually on a wooden dog house, looking cute in a blue cap, a matching shirt, and jeans, probably because her short skirts wouldn't be a good idea whilst building – especially in front of a camera. I jog up to where she is stood, where the camera and Santiago also come into view.

"Hey, Sonny!" I say when I get a few metres away from them. Sonny looks up, notices me, and her eyes open wide the minute she sees me. She doesn't seem mad to see me, though. just surprised. "Wow, did you build this dog house? It's impressive."

"What are you doing here?" She asks, trying to sound sweet, scanning me.

"Oh, I was just walking Buster here and thought we should come say hi. Y'know, it never hurts to be nice!"

She looks me up and down sceptically, before her eyes open wide and she looks at me angrily. My guess – she's figured out what I'm doing. That doesn't matter though. she's not the one who needs to buy this act – the rest of America is what counts here. I tie Buster down to a nearby tree, stroking him softly, before turning around to 'notice' the camera.

"Hey! I didn't see you guys there!" I say, putting an arm around Sonny, "Sorry to interrupt, but is it okay if I help you guys out?"

"Of course." Santiago says, smiling. I bet he thinks a story will come out of it. believe me Santiago – something _will_ come out of this. And, as a reporter, you're gonna like it.

Sonny giggles, swatting me on the arm, before glowering up at me. "I know what you're doing." She says.

"Do you, Sonny?" I ask, "Do you really?"

I suddenly, unexpectedly, stroke my arm down her back, and she tenses, before relaxing, looking up at me with sad, confused chocolate-brown eyes. I do the same, before coming back to the real world. I can't like Sonny – it's prohibited. It would be the largest kind of betrayal to my friends, and I couldn't do that to them.

"Okay, well, let's get to building!" Sonny chirps, grabbing a hammer while I head to the toolbox to find some nails, and we get to work.

* * *

><p>"I give up!" I groan, as Santiago and his cameraman walk off after saying another lie about me. Sonny looks at me, smirking.<p>

"You tried." She shrugs, "But you just couldn't make me look bad. You're just too nice, and I'm too good at pretending to be nice." She adds the last bit with a little more confidence than usual, and I laugh.

"Well, I do have to give you props for your plan."

"Oh, well, props accepted!" She smirks, "I was pretty good, wasn't I?"

"Well, some of your best work _is _on the camera." I say with a smirk, remembering my Plan B.

"What does that mean?" Sonny asks, tilting her head, puzzled.

"You're on camera." I explain, taking the camera I hid from under my cap, showing it to her, and the second I do, she gasps.

"Bad boy revealed to be good," I say into the camera, "Sweetheart revealed to have _no heart._"

I look over to Sonny, who is speechless. I smirk, turning to camera off and putting it back in the cap, before walking over to where I left Buster to wait a few hours ago. I untie the tie to the tree, walking off with him.

"Hold up, Chad."

I turn back at the sound of my name, to see Sonny only inches behind me.

"Well played." She says, smiling, and I shrug.

"Props accepted." I repeat her words, which makes her giggle.

"See, Chad, I've been thinking…" She says, "I'm sorry about what I did – really. It was horrible of me."

I laugh, before gasping dramatically, "Sonny Munroe – apologising? The world is ending!"

"Haha," Sonny says, "You're hilarious. So anyway, I've been missing you recently – you know, as a friend. Please can we be friends again? You're an amazing friend, and I just kinda wanted to ask… we can be really careful, so we don't get caught…"

Hmm… friends again? That doesn't sound too bad. I mean, Sonny and I are great actors, so we could easily hide to from our cast mates.

"Okay." I say, "Let's do it."

Sonny grins, "Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good. And to settle out new-found friendship, I won't give Santiago this tape. You've just gotta tell him the truth."

"Okay," Sonny nods, "It's a deal!"

I give her one last smile before walking back home, in a good mood.

I think I'm finally getting somewhere with Sonny.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go! Once again, I apologise for this, but I hope the lengthliness of this chapter made me forgiven. <strong>

**So... review? Pretty please... :) I wanna thank you guys so much for your reviews and alerts and favourites... you guys are so amazing and I love you all!**

**~ Amy x**


	13. New Competition and A Fake Kiss

**Hey there... I'm in the most awesome mood! Why, you ask? Because Unbroken is AMAZING! I know, all you non-obsessed Lovatics may not be as crazed about it as I am, but I just love it! If you haven't got the album, get it! I ordered my copy, and it's coming soon! :D**

**Meh, now, where was I...? Oh, yeah, story update! This chapter is based on SWAC Of Dating, which I absolutely love! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It is very long, which I hope is good. Seriously - nine pages on Microsoft Word!**

**Warning: Angst, angst, and maybe more angst. You have been warned. **

**I do not own Sonny With A Chance. Sadly... :'( **

**Ready?**

**Onwards!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13 - New Competition and A Fake Kiss<strong>

Tawni's POV

We're all in the cafeteria – its lunch break at Stage 3, and I know I, like everyone else, am starving. That was one _long _rehearsal. Zora and I are sat at our usual table, just talking, Nico and Grady are getting everyone fro-yo, and Chad… well, personally, I have no idea where Chad's got to. That little dreamer… sometimes, I have no idea what's going on in his head. Sometimes it's a little worrying…

Not _often, _anyways, but _sometimes_. Mainly with things that relate to Sonny Munroe and her stupid show and cast. The other week, at the Oh No You Din't awards, we found out that he left the show with Sonny. A few days later, he acted like he hated her more than anything in the world. I don't know what's going on between those two, but something very wrong is happening, and I intend to find out! As Tawni Hart, the gossip queen of this studio, it is my duty to know!

Speaking of the devil…

A gust of wind sends a shiver down my spine, and Zora and I simultaneously gaze at the cafeteria entrance to see the Dramas, stood at the door, their little pack lead by Sonny, as usual. They take their seats on the so-called 'best show' table, laughing that snotty way that posh people do as Nico and Grady take seats next to us.

"Man, I hate those guys…" Nico says darkly, joining our little glaring game along with Grady. Sonny gets up, flicking her hair dramatically and flouncing to the counter, where she meets the new boy working at the cafeteria with her signature grin and he turns an embarrassing shade of crimson.

Poor guy doesn't stand a chance.

"Thank you!" Sonny grins as the boy hands her a plate of lobster, and she winks and walks off, wiggling her butt a lot.

Ew.

Just as Princess Sonny makes it back to the table after catching the eyes of everyone in the room, Chad bundles into the room, a grin on his face that falls as he bumps into Sonny. Sonny growls, turning around to see who had almost made her drop her precious lunch. Well, she sure needs to gain a few calories…

"Watch where you're going, new boy!" She growls at Chad, who scowls.

"I'm not gonna reply to that." He says, "I'm in a good mood, and I'm not gonna let you spoil it like you usually do."

Sonny gasps, a little too OTT, putting a hand to her chest, "Whatever do you mean?" She says, "I never ruin things for you!"

Chad rolls his eyes, patting Sonny on the back. "Whatever you say, Princess."

I stifle a laugh, watching him leave a confused Sonny, and head to the table. But not before Sonny can stutter out…

"Fine!"

Chad turns back around, "Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

The two shoot each other one last angry glare before sitting on their respective tables. Chad grins at us.

"I swear, not even Little Miss Centre-Of-The-Universe can bring me down today!"

"And why's that?" Nico asks, but I can already see that he can tell that it's awesome news. Huh. I didn't know there was such thing as dude's intuition. There is a female version, but a male? Meh. Learn something new everyday, unfortunately. I don't like _learning._

"Okay," Chad says, "I just bumped into this girl… and we got talking… and I asked her out!"

I suddenly feel a pang in my throat, like someone's jabbed me with a knife down there. Chad… asked someone out? Who wasn't me? And yes, before you start complaining at me – I do still have a crush on him. Can you really blame me? I mean, just looking at him is enough to make any girl swoon.

"Nice one, buddy!" Nico says, fist-pounding him, and I try for a smile to make it seem that I'm not totally jealous of whoever has the pleasure of going on a _date _with Chad Dylan Cooper…

Coz I'm not…

…Maybe.

"And not just _any _girl…" Chad says, turning away from us and facing another table. I follow his gaze and gasp as I notice… he's looking at the Melody Falls table. "…a very special girl… she's sweet and funny and kind…"

That little weasel! He's going on a date with _Sonny Munroe! _Oh, I knew their little fight back there was fake… he is so _dead!_

My theory is then wiped clean outta the water when I see another girl sat at the table – a familiar girl, but she's not a Drama. Nope. She is an actress though. I'm sure of it…

I squint a little to get a better view and that's when I notice the girl is waving and smiling in Chad's direction. Chad smiles back before turning to us with a cute love-struck look.

I know that girl… Nico dated her before, I'm sure of it. And she dumped him, for one of the Falls kids. I then remember her name with a scowl…

"You've got a date with Eliza Markowski?" I hear Nico say, and I snap out of my musing to see Nico frowning. It kinda makes me sad to see him sad… coz he's my friend, of course. No other reason.

Nope.

"Yep!" Chad is saying with a blindingly-bright grin, "She's guest-starring on the Falls this week, and we bumped into each other in the hallway, and we got talking. I told her I loved her work and she said the same about me, and then we sorta flirted, and well, I asked her out! Now, I'm not one to brag, but…"

"Dude, you can't date her." Nico says, a blank expression on his face.

"Why not?" Chad frowns. Ugh. I hate it when Chad frowns. It makes me feel bad. Like he's the little puppy that someone just kicked, and you can't help feeling sorry for it.

"Because, my friend dated her and she dumped him like a piece of trash." He explains, and I can't help but laugh.

"Uh, that friend was _you, _Nico." Grady says, which earns a laugh from everyone on the table, bar Nico. Even Chad chuckles a little before regaining a serious posture and turning back to Nico.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Nico," He says, "But maybe you and Eliza just didn't have chemistry."

Nico shrugs, taking a spoonful of fro-yo out of his pot. I watch him eye up the Dramas – probably watching Eliza. I remember she apparently cheating on him with a Drama boy at the time – he was so annoyed. That was what annoyed him about the Dramas – how easy they attracted the girls he liked. And this was _before _the whole Tween Choice Award thing.

I then start to think about this whole Chad and Eliza situation… Nico got cheated on by that girl, by _a Drama_ boy. Ugh. And he was hurt. Well, only a little. But then, knowing Chad, he'll be crushed if, and when, she does the same thing to him.

I can't let Eliza hurt him… I have to make sure someone gets her to _back off._

Sonny's POV

After lunch, I headed back to Melody Falls, to get ready for the next scene. Right now, I'm sat in my make-up chair, waiting for the make-up artist to arrive. I look at my watch, tapping my foot impatiently. If this was back in August, I would've fired her about fifteen minutes ago. But now, in early-mid September, I'm being surprisingly different.

Why? Well, probably Chad. Now that we're friends again, he's had an almost calming effect on me. He's just… different. He treats me right. You know how they say if you don't get your heart broken, you'll never find true love? Well, it's just like that for Chad… only he's my friend, maybe even _best_ friend.

_Not_ my true love. **(BTW… Bobbie, that was for you. I was writing this bit while we talked about that! :P)**

I then feel a tap on my back, and turn, expecting to see my make-up artist. Instead, I see the scowling face of my ex-best friend. The Chad inside me tells me to bite my tongue back from saying anything cruel, but the girl who was hurt by Tawni tries to break free so she can rip Tawni's face off. Surprisingly, and luckily, the Chad-girl stays strong.

"Where's your stupid friend?" She spits, and I smirk.

"Go look in the mirror, and you'll see her."

Tawni growls at me (no joke – she _growls. _Like a flipping _wolf_), before shaking her head like she's shaking my words out of her mind. "No." She says, "I mean Eliza."

I roll my eyes, turning away from the deranged girl. Eliza Markowski – _my friend_? Yeah, right. We _seem _like friends on the outside world, but inside, I'm slightly envious. It's usually a fight between the two of us on 'Who's The Best At Getting Guys?', and probably more times than not, she has won.

And I _hate _it.

"Yeah, Eliza." Tawni continues, seeming to want to get something off her chest on Eliza. Well, it must be serious if she's come to me, of all people. She then adds something else – something that sounds like "the one who's going on a date with Chad tonight". I almost spit out my pre-show gum at those words **(Yup. More references :P)**. No… I must've heard her wrong… my Chad? My, uh, _buddy _Chad?

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I say, turning back around to face her, and she smirks.

"Chad. Eliza. Date. Tonight."

I then feel sick with envy and remorse. Eliza? Date? Tonight?

…_Chad_?

What did I tell you? Eliza _always _gets the guys.

And this time, she's got the one guy that I have a secret crush on…

"Hmm…" Tawni says, waking me from my nightmare, "Someone seems a little moved by that."

"Shut up, Tawni." I snarl, shooting her a glare.

"I didn't know you _cared _about Chad!" She laughs. I feel my fists clench protectively. I forgot how much I hated Tawni Hart – but now I remember why. She's a selfish little diva with a spiteful tongue and too-pretty face. She'd be the school's blonde, mean head cheerleader if we were a school – sure, I fit in with that stereotype, but if it wasn't for her, and for my dad, I wouldn't be this way. She's part of what made me _me. _And I hate her so much for that.

I'll never forgive her.

"Look, whatever," I say, "I honestly don't care who your little newbie friend goes out with or whatever." _Lie. _"What are you even doing here? Get out before I call security on you."

Tawni snorts, turning and walking away, and I'm glad. I sit back in my chair, resting my head lazily on the desk.

I just can't wrap my head around this. Eliza Markowski… and Chad Dylan Cooper?

Eliza is evil. She takes every sweet guy in Hollywood and messes them up, shakes them around, and they come out of that relationship either as a jerk, or a guy with a broken heart.

I can't let either of those things happen to Chad. He's my friend, and he's a good person. I can't let Eliza ruin the boy I've fallen for.

I can't.

I _have_ to ruin their date, to keep him safe. To keep him as the sweet, naïve Wisconsin boy that makes my knees so weak.

I need Chad to be Chad, and if he's not himself… then what will I be? I'll go back to the girl I was before Chad, and that can't happen… I've started to cry again, smile, laugh, be happy… and I love doing all those things.

They can't stop.

And that's why I need to ruin that date. To save me. To save _Chad_.

Tawni's POV

I leave the set of Melody Falls, trying to keep the smirk off my face… and failing.

Sonny Munroe… who would've thought she'd have been upset by _Chad Dylan Cooper _going on a date with a girl…?

Who _isn't _her?

I knew it – Sonny likes Chad. Ha, ridiculous. Chad would never like her – I know Chad, and his type. His type definitely _isn't _Sonny – he doesn't do drama and bitchy comments.

Then again… knowing Sonny, she'll probably want to fight for the thing she wants, and she'll wreck that date, which is exactly what I want.

I head back to So Random, to see everyone, bar Chad, at rehearsals.

"Where's Chad?" I ask as I walk up to the others. Nico is the first to talk.

"With _her._" He says darkly, "At least, that's most likely what's happening… that lousy weasel's manipulating him…"

Wow. It seems Nico's really pissed at this two… hey, I know! I'll get him to go wreck the date too! He's so good and wrecking his own dates… there's no doubt, with him and the evil love-killer, Chad and Eliza won't be together long. Then maybe I can be with Chad…

I pull Nico to the side, lowering my voice a little, before turning to face him.

"Look, Nico…" I say, hoping my trust in Nico isn't just in my head. If I confess all to him, chances are he'll tell one of the others – most likely Grady.

That's the last thing I need.

"I know what's up with you. You either want Eliza back, or you want revenge. And believe me – I can help with both of those."

Nico's eyebrows furrow, "I don't want _either _of those things." He stutters, "I've got over Eliza – I just don't want Chad to get hurt…"

"It's exactly the same for me." I explain, "Look, we both wanna keep Chad safe, right? So if their date doesn't go too well… they'd break up, and Eliza wouldn't be able to hurt Chad, right?"

"Wait…" Nico frowns, "Why do _you _want Eliza to stay away from Chad?"

Uh oh. Cover needed. "Uh… coz I care about him."

Nico scoffs, "That's the first time I've heard you _care _for someone, Tawn…" His face then lights up with realisation, before falling with slight disappointment, "You like Chad, don't you?"

Uh oh…

"Maybe…" Is my brilliant reply. Ha, nice one _moron. _

Nico nods, slightly smiling, "Okay… well, thanks Tawni. I think I know how I'm gonna help this little plan along…"

"Awesome!" I say, before jumping when I hear a call of both our names. Worse, it's Chad.

He runs over, script in his hands, smiling, "Hey." He says, "What you guys talking about?"

It's pretty much awkward, as Nico and I both stammer out;

"Nothin'…"

Chad's POV

I arrive at the Arcadia in town where Eliza and I decided to meet up, a few minutes early, but it doesn't matter. Besides, I want some time to think before anything happens…

I'm just… confused, is all. Everyone's acting really weird today. Like when I arrived at rehearsals, Nico and Tawni were talking alone. They then barely spoke to me during rehearsals. I mean, that's usually the case with Tawni, but Nico's behaviour was what alarmed me more. I mean, we're friends. It's just… weird. So not Nico… and I'm slightly worried.

And something else bugged me too. After rehearsals, I went to see Sonny. She was all jittery, and told me she had rehearsals to get to even though I know her rehearsals finish around the same time as ours. She then told me that Eliza was a meanie and broke guy's hearts, and left hastily.

Huh. Everyone's acting really weird today… I wonder why…

"Hey, Chad!"

My thoughts are broken up by a familiar voice, and I turn to see Eliza, my date, walking my way, looking beautiful. Not as beautiful as Sonny though…

…Hold up. Did I just say that?

Forget I said anything… moving on…

We head into the Arcade. It's a usual date really – nothing goes bad, but nothing prompts me to kiss her or anything. We just have… fun.

And then things take a crazy turn.

"Sorry I'm late!" A voice says, slipping next to me, and I turn to see Nico sat there, grinning.

"Nico?" I ask, and he nods.

"Hey, Chad! What did I miss?"

I roll my eyes, trying to bite back any spiteful words and stay polite to my friend.

"An invitation." I say, "You realise we're on a _date_, right?"

Nico opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, another gust of wind joins Eliza on the booth, and I feel my jaw drop open when I see Sonny sat over the way, beaming.

"Sorry I'm late!" She says. I scan her. Sonny is wearing light make-up (well, for Sonny), and a T-shirt that shows a lotta cleavage. I can't see below her waist, but being Sonny, she's probably wearing an incredibly short skirt or breath-takingly skinny jeans.

Uh-oh… with Sonny looking like she does, it's hard to not think her hot, even if she's my friend… no, Chad, stay strong. You are on a _date. _Stay focused…

Sonny's POV

I've been crashing Chad and Eliza's date for about 20 minutes already. It seems to be going pretty well – although the air is awkward, and Eliza looks like she's gonna rip my head off. Chad's giving the same look to Nico, with occasional glances at me. He's gonna kill me after this, but I am doing it to protect him, and later he'll thank me for it.

I hope.

"So…" Eliza says, nudging me, "How about you come with me to the ladies' room?"

The ladies' room? Uh, no thanks. That's just weird…

Before I can protest, Eliza is dragging me over to the other side of the room, where the two boys can't see us. She whirls around to face me, scowling.

"_What _are you doing here?" She asks, "This is _my _date! I know you've always been jealous of me…"

"Have not!" I yell, almost a little too loudly, and the frown fades from her face and changes to a big smirk. Ugh. She always loves bugging me. It's one of the reasons I freaking _hate _her.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" She smirks, "You like Chad!"

"I do not!" I try to protest, but when I do, my voice comes out creepily high. That's a tell-tale sign that I'm lying, and unfortunately, Eliza knows about it. The smile grows on her face as the penny drops, she looks evil and mean, and it reminds me of the days Tawni and I were half-way between friendship and disaster. The year that lead up to the formation of Sonny Munroe – and the hell that has followed.

"Oh, wait till Chaddy dear hears about this…"

I pull her back as she tries to run back to Chad; I can't let her go if she's gonna tell him about… my feelings. Plus, I'm not finished with her.

"I'd never want to date Chad," I lie. Pretty convincingly though, to be fair. "And besides, even if I did like him I wouldn't _want _to date him… because he's a good kid and I'd just hurt him…" I look over to Chad, who's talking to Nico, and despite their situation, he seems to be talking civilly. Chad Dylan Cooper – the boy who can stay calm in some of the most annoying situations. I can't let a person like me ruin him – and that type of person includes Eliza. I turn back to face her, clenching my fists a little."Look, I'm gonna give you a hint – leave Chad _alone_. You will just end up ruining him."

Eliza giggles – I can see she doesn't take Chad's feelings too seriously. Well, knowing her, she doesn't take _anybody's _feelings seriously. Boy, she sure has Chad fooled… he seems to think she's sweet, kind… yeah, he's definitely got Eliza wrong. Way wrong…

"Listen to me." I say, stepping a little closer to Eliza, glaring at her heatedly. "If you hurt Chad, I swear I will rip apart your too-pretty face and you'll never work in this town again."

Eliza scans me quizzically, before stepping back towards Chad slowly. She takes a seat opposite the boy, smiling slightly, before he says something to Nico. I presume he's asking him to go away, because the second he shuts his mouth, Nico gets up and leaves, irritated. Chad then gets up and sits in the seat next to Eliza, putting an arm around her shoulders. The sight breaks my heart, and infuriates me, all at the same time. I feel like running up there and ripping that bitch limb from freaking _limb. _

Instead I leave, trying to stop the tears from running before I get to my car. I sit in the drivers' seat, mascara already running down my face (from the rain. Yes, it's raining). I look out the window, which is luckily shielded by the rain as a single tear rolls down my cheek.

What am I, to Chad? Just a friend, I suppose, even though I want to be so, so much more.

I was kidding myself the whole time though, I know, and seeing him get close and cuddly with Eliza made me realise that Chad will never go out with me. We're friends, and enemies, all in one. There's no way you could fit a real relationship into that equation too.

I should've seen it coming though. It seems that everyone is against me – and I know that sounds all sob-story and cliché, but it's pretty much the truth. First, my dad. Then Tawni. And now Chad? I guess I just have a habit to attract the people who see me as vulnerable, weak. They use me, and then they throw me away, leaving me heart-broken.

I don't believe that Chad is only doing this to hurt me though. I don't believe using me was Chad's intention. Chad didn't know he was hurting me, and he never will – how could he? I haven't dropped any obvious hints that I liked him in that way – I've only shown that he's my friend and I care for him as a pal. I let myself believe that Chad and I could become more when I know I really wasn't his type, and I never will be.

What did I tell myself, all those years ago? Not to get to close to anyone again? Well, I guess I should've listened…

* * *

><p>The next day, I walk into my dressing room, hoping to avoid work. Work means seeing Eliza, and I really, <em>really <em>don't wanna see her after last night. So I just lock myself in my dressing room with a piano, guitar, and some broken feelings. I start playing the piano in the corner of my room, hoping to come up with some tune I can fit some sad lyrics to. I don't want to release a song or something so the public can be sympathic towards me – I'm writing because a few days ago, Chad told me a great way to get his feelings out was writing a song.

So here I am, doing something I haven't done since I wrote songs about fluffy bunnies and rainbows in the sky when I was little. When dad would sit with a can of pain in his hand. He would tell me the songs were lovely, but at that time I was about eight, and he was past harassing me and had moved on to Mom. He was just trying to kiss up to me, so I was on his side.

I didn't fall for it, not at all.

* * *

><p>At about noon, my fingers are still lazily crawling along the piano, as they have been for hours. They stop abruptly at the sound of a knock on the door.<p>

Great. Probably the producers. I don't want to go to work – I haven't got the lyrics for my song yet. And I _really _don't wanna face Eliza.

"Come back later!" I foolishly shout. Oops. What if they fire me now for not working?

"Um, I need to talk to you." A voice says timidly from the other side of the door, and my breath speeds a little.

Chad.

"C-come in…" I say, turning around, away from the piano keys. Chad looks up at me, his eyes dull and weary and sad, and my heart sinks. Where's that adorable shine I've got so used to seeing?

"What's wrong, Chad?" I ask, the concern a little too noticeable in my tone. He shrugs.

"I saw Eliza kissing some guy in the cafeteria. One of your co-stars, I think."

My jaw drops and my fists clench once again. That little weasel… how could she? A small, cruel part of me takes a grim satisfaction at the fact she's no longer with him, sure, but she had to dump him that way?

I suppose it may be my fault. I told her to lay off and that's what she's doing – just in the most vicious way possible.

Betrayal.

I move along on the big piano stool, patting the part beside me, and Chad sits there, his shoulders drooping.

"I'm such an idiot…" He says, "Nico warned me and everything – everyone did. Even you, before the date. And I didn't listen to any of you."

I hug him lightly, and he hugs me back. I feel comfort in his arms – even though _I'm_ the one who's meant to be comforting _him_.

"I hope Eliza gets dumped on day so she'll never do this again." Chad says out of nowhere, and those very words suddenly get my brain sparking.

"That's good!" I say. Chad pulls away from the hug, looking at me, confused.

"What's good?"

"Giving her a taste of her own medicine."

Chad's face lights up, "Go on…"

"Well, what if we send you out on a date, make sure she sees it, and then she'll be so jealous she'll come crawling back to you. And that's when you dump her!"

Chad grins, "That's perfect, Sonshine. And just for that amazing plan…" He then takes my hand and winks, "Will you be my fake date?"

I feel my heart do a back-flip. Me? On a date? With Chad?

Well, heck, sure!

And I know it's only a fake date, but let me have my little fantasy!

"I'd love to." I wink seductively, "Pick me up at seven?"

"Will do," Chad says, turning away and walking to the door. "It's a date… m'lady."

* * *

><p>Chad and I walk into the Arcadia where Eliza and the Falls' boy Derek are having their date. I snort with disgust. Weird… going to the exact same place for a date a day before your last one… with a different guy? I dunno, it just seems a little crazy…<p>

Chad grips my hand tightly as he notices Eliza, and I tense up with shock. Believe me though – it's not a bad kind of shock.

We sit at a table, attracting the attention of several people – including Eliza and Derek. Derek and I used to date, so this is kinda like revenge for me too… revenge on Derek, for hurting me, and on Eliza, for hurting Chad…

And then, things take a nasty turn when the Randoms walk in. They notice us, and stride over angrily, faces like thunder.

"What are you doing with her?" Tawni asks as the others stare me down.

"Guys, it's just a fake date." Chad assures them, and I secretly frown at that. I so wish everything was as it seemed right now…

"A _fake _date?" A voice repeats, and Chad and I turn in panic to see Eliza stood there, arms crossed, Derek behind her.

"No!" I assure them, snuggling into Chad's chest. I suddenly feel very weak when I feel the abs beneath the shirt… "I'll prove it to you…"

I then turn back to Chad, smiling at him, planting my hand on his mouth and kissing it. That kissing technique is something I've learnt for kissing guys on Melody Falls, coz, frankly, I'd rather not kiss _any _of the guys on that show, if I had the choice. How I would've killed to really kiss him back there, but I couldn't have, or I'd never have heard the end of it. And I'm not referring to Chad there – I'm referring to the Randoms. They'd kill me if I really did kiss Chad…

I pull away, looking around at all the shocked, angry faces, and as Chad tells Eliza to get lost, I assure the Randoms that the kiss was fake.

"Sure…" Tawni says, scanning me angrily, protectively. Ha. I knew she liked Chad…

I then turn back to Chad, where Eliza is resisting his demands to leave. I get up, putting an arm around her, and whispering threateningly into her ear;

"Listen here. You didn't seem to get it last time, so I'll remind you. If you _ever _set foot on this studio again, I will rip you to shreds. _Never _mess with Sonny Munroe. Or Chad Dylan Cooper. Or, believe me, you'll _freaking _know about it."

She watches me pull away from her ear, scowling at me, before she runs out of the arcade, Derek following her. Ha, that loser. I'll make sure he's fired tomorrow.

The Randoms then leave to do whatever it is they came to do, and Chad and I decide to leave together. We walk towards his car, just talking.

"That was quite a kiss." He says out of nowhere, before adding with a smirk, "I never knew you would be that passionate, kissing me."

I laugh loudly. Sure, I do like Chad in the way he's implying, but I can't let him know that. Like I said – the Randoms would kill me. And my rep would be dead too, and that's the only thing protecting me in this world.

"Please, Chad. You think I enjoyed that kiss?" He nods. "It wasn't even real. I put my hand over your mouth."

Chad smirks, a little out-of-character, "I'm sure you wish it was a real kiss though."

I laugh again, snorting a little for emphasise. "Please! You're so not my type, Chad Dylan Cooper. I mean, you could sweep me off my feet, kiss me, and I wouldn't feel a thing…"

Before I can continue, a feel the floor taken from beneath me. Chad is gazing down at me with bright blue eyes, and I feel my heart beat faster and faster, like I'm heading closer to death. Like I'm getting closer to Heaven.

He takes a deep breath, before uttering slowly, and with a cocky smirk, "Really, Sonny? Really?"

Then, without warning, he plants a kiss softly on my lips. My heart skips a beat – confused at first, but then I feel nothing but pure bliss. I dig my hands into his hair, deepening the kiss. Everything feels so magical, so great, so special…

And then I change my mind about it all.

I pull away from the kiss, looking Chad in the eye. I can't do this… I'm getting too close to him. If I get too close to him, I'll be vulnerable. And I can't be vulnerable again – that's why I invented Sonny Munroe, the diva who cares about no-one but herself. And Chad is chipping away at that diva's shell, taking away my protection, leaving the girl I used to be behind.

And it's scaring me. It's too much. Especially for a boy I barely know.

"I-I'm sorry, Chad." I say, regaining my posture; matting down my hair, straightening my T-shirt. "I can't do this…"

Before Chad can say anything else, I leave, running home, running away from myself. From the pain I felt all those years before.

And that is why I can't get close to someone. Because now, I'm hurting. I haven't hurt this much since I was thirteen…

The memories increase, of a laughing 'friend', a dad drinking his troubles away, a mother and step-father fighting… and it's all too much.

I never wanted to feel pain like this again, and now I am. And it kills me.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, I warned ya. Angst. I almost wrote her in cutting but thought that was way too angst-y. <strong>

**Anyways... what did you guys think? I enjoyed that chapter, so I hope you guys did too!**

**And now... *game show host voice* it's the return of... THE REVIEW GAME! It's super simple! Just click that button below and you'll get... uh, the honour of being a reviewer!**

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**~Amy x**


	14. A Cousin and A Fan Girl

**Hey guys! Yup, it's that time! UPDATE TIME! **

**I'm updating because I am SOOOOO thankful of all of you - In his review, MrB.o.B1990 said this story was "almost as good as the real SWAC show. Wow. Just... wow. That is amazing! :D**

**Also, thanks to k.98'PeaceOutSuckas, who was BEGGING me to update for the weekend. Well, here it is, especially for you! And all my other reviewers... you guys rock! And everyone else who's favourited or alerted me or my stories... this is for you! :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14 - A Cousin and A Fan-Girl<strong>

Chad's POV

After Sonny and I sort out the Eliza/Derek situation, we decide to leave the Arcadia. To be honest I'd much rather continue the 'date', but I wouldn't expect Sonny to want to, especially since it's just a fake date, and nothing more.

Oh well, someday…

We're walking towards my car – because Sonny and I thought we'd look more the part if we arrived _together _– just talking. I know, you guys are probably fretting coz I don't have my driver's license yet and last time I drove with Sonny we almost _died_. But I've practiced since then, honest. I drove Sonny _here_, and no-one died, so… result!

I then start to think about what I'd just done. I just _dated _Sonny Munroe. Sure, it wasn't meant to be a real date, but all the feelings that I didn't want to feel were boldly on show for everyone there to see. Specifically – when she kissed me.

Oh yeah. Sonny Munroe… kissed me. Be jealous.

And I know the above sounded totally big-headed, but y'know, it was in the moment. I sure know that before I met Sonny I'd have been jealous if someone I knew told me they'd kissed _Sonny Munroe. _

_The Sonny Munroe._

"That was quite a kiss." My ego says out of nowhere. I didn't even _think _I had an ego before now. Huh, guess I do, because after that I feel a smirk come on, "I never knew you'd be that passionate, kissing me."

Whoa… out of character, much? Oh well. Sonny smirks at my words, before laughing. I try not to chuckle as she snorts. She covers her nose with embarrassment, but clearing her throat and looking up at me, boldly.

"Please, Chad." She says, "You think I enjoyed that kiss?"

I nod, smirking a little, with the intention of messing with her in a friendly joking way. It's kinda fun to challenge Sonny – someone who's so secretive. I don't _hate _her, of course (quite the contrary, actually), but it's obvious by her body language that she's hiding something, and being the nosy, meddling guy I am, I can't help but want to know what it is. _Especially _if it's about me.

Sonny scoffs at my cockiness (_unintended_ cockiness) before, sighing, looking down to her boots shyly and then looking back up. "It wasn't even real." She defends herself timidly, "I put my hand over your mouth."

I try not to laugh at possibly the worst excuse ever, before thinking it over. Huh… her lips did feel a little weird… more like hands than lips, so I suppose that 'excuse' makes sense.

"I'm sure you wish it was a real kiss though." I say, before immediately wanting to slap myself for being so rude when I know I was raised differently. Maybe I'm going a little over-the-top with this cocky persona. I mean, sure, he'd be good to use for protection against any mean Hollywood people, but not when I'm using it on my best Hollywood friend…

Sonny's reaction is weird. She looks at me – first with shock, then with humour, and then she bursts out laughing, snorting again. You'd think all this snorting would creep me out, but to be honest, it isn't bothering me. She still looks cute.

Stupid cute.

"Please! You're so not my type, Chad Dylan Cooper. I mean, you could sweep me off my feet, kiss me, and I wouldn't feel a thing…"

Hmm… sweep you off your feet, huh? Without warning, my body acts before my mind. I grab Sonny, dipping her like they do in those romantic movies, gazing straight into her eyes. She looks up at me, smiling meekly, and I smile back, before the cockiness emerges again and I say;

"Really, Sonny? Really?"

It seems my brain really isn't in control of my body today. After saying that, I decide to see if Sonny's prediction is true, and kiss her. On the lips.

What. The. Heck?

And what makes it weird? I enjoy it.

A lot.

And the worse part… I don't care.

At _all_.

I pull away from the kiss, trying to keep the smile from my face. It's just… just so wrong! Sonny is friend (enemy, evidently to others) yet I _enjoyed_ kissing her? What the heck is wrong with me?

Probably the fact that I'm well and truly attracted to Sonny Munroe.

Sonny is smiling at me too; shyly, but still smiling. Then she looks down, avoiding contact with my eyes, and I feel my heart sink. Does Sonny not feel the way I do? Have I just made a total idiot of myself?

"I-I'm sorry, Chad… I can't do this." She says, and I feel sick with embarrassment and exasperation. It meant nothing. That moment – that kiss – it was all just a big joke to her. She fixes her hair, straightens her shirt, wipes her mouth so that all evidence that we ever got close has disappeared. It's like we never kissed in the first place. Well, you have to give it to Sonny – she's good at hiding things.

She then runs down the street, leaving me – and her only ride home – behind. I watch her, confused.

I just don't understand this… Sonny and I are such good friends, and we've only known each other for over a month. Yet our relationship is already on thin ice…

When I kissed Sonny, I was so sure it was right, and seeing that smile on her face afterwards made it even more plausible that we could be together.

But then… her reaction afterwards? It proved to that tiny seed of doubt inside me that I was just kidding myself that Sonny and I could even be more than friends. Although, she seemed so confused, heartbroken… the look in her eyes was completely alien. I've never seen Sonny like that – _damaged_ in that way.

It's strange. Why was she so different after the kiss – so hurt? Had I reminded her of a previous relationship that went wrong? Or did she have that same doubt inside her – that we are friends and friends only? That we're _supposed_ to be enemies, so we were already risking it with the friends thing – let alone it growing to something more?

I sit in my car, my head in my hands, and I start to worry about Sonny before realising I have no way of getting home. I'm not allowed to drive without a responsible adult with me – I was already pushing the limits with Sonny, who's only just got her driver's license herself. Now that I'm on my own, I'm really breaking the law.

I fish my phone out of my pocket, and call my mother.

"Mommy?" I ask childishly as she answers. I may be a Hollywood boy now, but nothing stops me from being that Momma's boy I've always been.

"Hi, sweetie!" She says, "How's that thing with your friend going?"

"It's going great, Mom." I lie, "Can you come pick me up?"

I can hear the hesitation in her reply, "Sure… sweetie… what happened to your ride?"

Uh-oh. Mom doesn't know I drove myself here without a proper adult – she'd be _pretty _mad if she knew I broke the law.

"Uh… she went home." I say, flatly, because frankly, I don't want my mother to start questioning me on my 'date'.

"Aw… that's a shame." She says, "I'll be right there."

I sit for about 10 minutes, twiddling my thumbs and listening to the radio, before she arrives in her own car, smiling at me.

"Hello, sweetie!" She says, "Hop in!"

I smile, getting out of my car and heading towards hers, and I settle in the passenger's seat with a relaxed sigh. My mother is smiling at me, before her gaze drifts from me to behind me before looking back at me angrily.

"Chad, dear…" She says, "Why is your car here?"

Crap. I knew I wouldn't be able to pull this off. I shoot her a totally innocent face and say, "Someone must have stolen it! Shock!"

Mom rolls her eyes, shooting me the 'look' and I sit back in my chair, sighing.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Yup." Mom says flatly.

"In my defence," I say, "I was driving with someone who already had a license."

"Mmm-hmm?" She murmurs, and I nod, "And was this person a responsible adult…?"

"Uh, no…" I say timidly. Mom glares at me, before putting the car into gear and sighing.

"Sometimes I don't know what to do with you, Chad Dylan Cooper…" She says. I smirk internally, remembering the abandoned car behind us as she drives off.

"And what do we do with my car? I ask, "Just leave it here?"

Mom shakes her head, "I think Beth works here, and she only lives down the road from us. She usually walks to work, but I'm sure she can drop your car off for you."

I tilt my head, surprised. Beth is my cousin (frankly I completely forgot Beth lived here. I know – I'm a great cousin) – her Mom is my Mom's sister, and she moved with her husband to California and gave birth to Beth, who is now 18. Hmm, I suppose that would work. Beth usually walks to work, so she wouldn't have her own car to take anywhere, and she's over 16 so she has her driver's license.

Mom calls Beth, asking her when her shift's over to bring my car back, and she says it's no problem. Mom gives her our address (we haven't given it to her yet – it's only a new house).

I've completely forgot about Beth over the years. I haven't seen her since I was 13 and she and her parents visited us in Wisconsin. I remember she reminds me a whole lot of Avril Lavigne – the hair, the style, but that's about it. Once again – the perfect cousin) and she says she'll be right over when her shift is over. Mom drives me back to the Arcadia and I drop the keys off with the manager, asking him to give them to Beth when she leaves. With that finished, we head home.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, at 9pm, I hear a car pull up outside, and look out of my bedroom curtains to see my crappy little car pull up, and a blonde haired girl with a pink strip step out and walk towards the front door. I smile a little – Beth.<p>

"You really shouldn't be drivin' on your own at your age, Chaddy." She says to me with a smirk, and I try not to laugh. "There are laws against it."

"Since when are you one to care for the rules, Bethy?" I ask, making her laugh. She used to call me 'Chaddy' as a kid, so I'd retaliate with 'Bethy'. Neither of us liked our nicknames, but it was funny to call each other that. Some habits never die. She throws me the keys with the 'Wisconsin cheese' keychain my Uncle James (Beth's dad) gave me a few years back before inviting herself in.

"Hi Auntie Dianne!" She yells, receiving a hello from my Mom before twirling around to face me, grinning. "I saw you at the Arcadia today… with a girl! We need to talk – NOW!"

Uh-oh… I suddenly feel very uncomfortable. My family are really close, so when something as small as a dentist appointment comes along, everyone wants to know everything. I remember my first date – the interrogation wasn't fun afterwards, believe me. It would've been even worse if I'd brought the girl home…

Anyways, Beth drags me up the stairs, scanning the first floor until she gives up trying to guess which one's my room, and just lets go of my arm.

"Which is yours then?" She asks, and I point to the one furthest from the staircase. She walks over and kicks the door open (literally – lucky it was already slightly open or she may have broke it off the hinges). She sits on my bed, twirling a length of pink-dyed hair around her little finger as I take a seat on my blue beanbag.

"So…" She says, a gossipy tone to her voice, "Tell me… what's this girl like? Where did you meet her? Is she famous?"

I roll my eyes, "She's cool. I met her at work, and yes she is."

Beth gasps, her eyes going wide, "Aw, my little cousin's got himself a famous girlfriend!"

"No, she's not my girlfriend." I correct her, which makes her face fall.

"Damn! She says, "I was all proud and stuff…"

I sigh. Beth can be way too gossipy… all the time. And she gets so excited over all her family's love lives. She says her love life stinks, so why not support everyone else's? Coz it's weird, that's why. I try for a smile.

"So what were you doing with your arm around her? And didn't she kiss you?"

I sigh again. "Okay, Beth, here's the story. That girl was Sonny Munroe…"

Beth squeals, like she's watching a stupid rom-com, and I glare at her, telling her to shut it. She's obviously heard of Sonny, then. She 'zips' her mouth and smiles innocently.

"Sorry. Continue." She says.

"I went on a date with Eliza Markowski…"

Another squeal. She's obviously heard of Eliza too. "Sorry… I didn't mean it."

"…But she ditched me."

Beth's eyes flash with anger. "That little weasel! Who could wanna ditch you?"

I snort, "Thanks, kiss-up. So, Sonny's a close friend of mine, even though our two shows state that we're pretty much meant to be enemies. She comforted me when Eliza dumped me for one of her cast-mates, before offering to go on a fake date with me to get revenge on Eliza."

Beth grins evilly, "Brilliant plan. Did it work?"

I shrug, "If you mean the date fooled Eliza, then yes. But the whole 'fake' bit didn't go so well…"

Beth gasps, before moving closer with anticipation.

"Sonny pretended to kiss me, to make it more believable. I didn't know at the time, but then after she told me… I kissed her."

"Oh… my… God…" Beth gasps, "So what did she say?"

I sigh in memory of the moment, "She seemed happy at first, but then she just left and ran down the street. She seemed so… so upset. I don't know what I did, or why she ran off…"

"Aw, sweetie…" Beth says, collapsing on the beanbag next to me as I try not to let a tear escape. I don't wanna fall apart in front of my cousin – she'll worry about me. When one member of the family is upset, it's like a domino effect for the whole family. We all go down. I don't want to bring anyone down, coz this is mine and Sonny's business. "Don't worry about it. Maybe you reminded her of something bad from her past. Or maybe it just wasn't the right time… I don't know. But I do know that that girl must have a screw loose if she wouldn't want to kiss you! And I mean that in a family way, not in a way that says I wanna kiss you…"

"Yeah, I thought not." I chuckle, "Thanks, Bethy."

"No prob, Chaddy." She giggles. "Well, I've gotta get home, but I'll see you around?"

"Sure." I say. I watch my cousin leave out the window before lying on my bed, sighing.

What's wrong with me? Why did I upset Sonny so much? I don't know what to do… call her? Ignore it all? Wait until tomorrow? I really don't know…

Out of curiosity and slight desperation to talk to Sonny, I sent her a quick text.

_Hi, Sonny. I just wanted to talk about what happened earlier… text me back or something? Thanks. Chad._

It's not much of a surprise, but I don't get a reply.

Sonny's POV

I wake up the next morning, early in the morning, with the memory of yesterday floating around me, giving me a headache. My phone is flashing next to me, and I pick it up in my tired state, before growling at the phone when I realise Chad has sent me a text. I throw my phone on the floor before mentally swearing, apologising to the phone (I'm going crazy) and picking it up to read the text.

_Hi, Sonny. I just wanted to talk about what happened earlier… text me back or something? Thanks. Chad._

I groan reading the text. Chad wants to talk. Great. What am I supposed to say to him? He'll want to talk about why I was so hurt, and that road of conversation is a possible secret-revealer. And I can't let Chad know my secret… whether he's a friend or not.

And after I ditched him last night, it's probably the latter.

I get out of bed at about 8:30am, only because that's when my alarm clock starts to ring. Usually I either press the sleep button or throw it across the room and then go back to sleep, but today I just couldn't get back to sleep, and I couldn't muster up the energy to throw it and shut it up.

Mom is downstairs, in the kitchen, and I groan when I see her. Last night wasn't great – I heard yelling coming from hers and Johnny's room. That's never good. I'm freaking surprised she hasn't kicked him out yet. But then, she has a habit of clinging on to the men she's married to, even if the relationship isn't going well…

"Morning, Allie." She says brightly when she sees me, and rather than replying with some mean comment, I sit at the breakfast table, tucking into an apple in the fruit bowl. She's my mother – it's not worth the trouble.

Afterwards, I head back upstairs. I take some clothes into the bathroom and lock the door, getting in to the shower. After showering, I put on make-up (too much, in regular Sonny Munroe style, to hide the bags under my eyes and the weary, defeated look), before pulling on a short flowery dress and light denim jacket. I leave the bathroom, heading to my room and searching for today's Melody Falls' script. When I finally find it in one of my many handbags (it was a bribe from Dad so I'd take his side. The only reason I haven't thrown it away is that it's kinda cute), I leave the house without a word to my mom, and make my way to the studio.

* * *

><p>I arrive at work on time, for once, and head straight to the set, where I'm the only cast member there. As more and more of them trickle in, they each give me looks of confusion, amusement and worry. I just shoot them vulgar looks.<p>

"Take a picture, weirdoes." I snap, "It'll last longer. I'm not coming in this early again if it gets you guys so _bemused_."

They all then turn away to talk to each other, just out of fear of losing their jobs. But I'm sure I notice a few strange glances towards me every now and again, along with laughs and random chatter. I put my head in my hands, hoping to hide the embarrassment and the redness in my cheeks. Luckily, at this moment, the new director – Daniel – arrives, and we get to work.

* * *

><p>After rehearsals, I end up hidden away in my dressing room, with a guitar by my side and a bunch of half-written sheet music sprawled across my piano. I'm lying on the sofa, with a half-finished Coke can at my side and a pen and paper in my hands. I chew on the end of the pen, in though, before writing a little, and then crossing it out. Realising the sheet now looks like a mess with all the scribbles, I scrunch it into a ball and throw it across the room, annoyed. I should've used a pencil. Ugh.<p>

The song started, the other day, about Chad – about love, loss, wanting someone who was way out of reach. But then it became a revenge song – for Eliza, for hurting Chad. But now… I'm having so many bad moments that it's hard to choose which to make into a song.

"Miss Munroe?" A voice says hesitantly from behind the door. I recognise it straight away – Daniel, the new director. He's a twenty-something guy who Mr Condor, the head of the studio, owed a favour to. But, to be honest, he's pretty good. He's helped breathe some new life into the show. The plotline already seems better since he joined – not just the usual questions of "will Melody and Trevor go out?" and "how can Melody protect the Falls from Penelope?" et cetera, et cetera…

"Come in!" I say in a careless, bored way, and he opens the door. Behind him, I see a small figure of a girl.

"Hello, Miss Munroe." He says with a kind smile, "This is Dakota, and she's from a charity called 'Children Having a Dream'. Your publicist things it would be good for your image if you spent a day with her."

Children Having a Dream? Never heard of it. I scan the little girl with confusion. She looks about nine years old – she's about four foot high, has mouse-brown hair tied up in pigtails and a baby-face. She looks up at me and I feel my heart jump a little. She looks so… down, yet hopeful. A girl who's having a dream… and wants it to be fulfilled.

The girl I used to be 'aw's in my head, and the girl I have to be now tells her to shut up before shooting this 'Dakota' a mega-watt grin. Well, anything to make Sonny Munroe's publicity a little better, sure. I may need the bad-girl thing to protect myself, but sometimes I can't resist going back to the caring girl I used to be.

"Why, hello!" I say, "I'm Sonny, the greatest and most beautiful actress of her generation, and I will be taking care of you today!"

The girl scans me with judging eyes, before dragging me off to the cafeteria. I suddenly feel kinda intimidated – she isn't what I expected…

We arrive at the cafeteria, and are eating burgers, when the most alarming thing about this girl is truly revealed.

She looks at me and gasps before grinning, and it's then when I notice she's not gasping at me. I turn around to see the large poster of So Random, with Chad in the middle, a cute, innocent grin on his face, his fingers in the 'peace' sign. I feel my heart skip a beat just looking at it. I mean, those sparkling blue eyes, that soft blonde hair… he's so, so cute…

"So Random films here?" Dakota asks, surprised, waking me from my 'Chad trance', before adding dreamily and innocently, "I had no idea! I love Chad Dylan Cooper!"

I roll my eyes lightly. _Believe me, girly, you're not the only one…_

"Wait…" I say, astonished at what my ears just heard "You… _love_ Chad Dylan Cooper?"

Dakota nods, grinning, and I just feel totally awkward and weird about the situation. I mean… a 15 (going on 16) year-old hottie and a 9 year-old mega-fan? This is not the image for a perfect relationship… in fact, no. Just _no_. Sure, I'll never get a date with Chad, but if I have no chance, Dakota has _next to _no chance…

Dakota is oblivious to the odds though – she's smiling at the poster before she looks at me with hopeful eyes and says, "Do you think maybe you could introduce me to him?"

I sigh. This girl isn't gonna give up. Although, maybe it's not as bad as I first thought. Maybe she's not scary obsessed/wants to have a relationship (once again, mortifying thought) – maybe she's just a fan-girl. I know that nine is a little young to be a mega fan girl, but I remember the feeling from before I was super famous – you see the person on TV or in magazines and get all embarrassed, the person influences everything you say and do, you dream about them all the time, you want to watch every TV show they appear on, even if you usually think it sucks (cough, So Random, cough)…

Huh… I suppose I am still a fan-girl.

To Chad Dylan Cooper.

Weird…

Trying to ignore my creepy previous trains of thought, I take out my cell and call Chad. After a few rings, he picks up.

"Hello?" His voice answers, a little hesitant. I start to worry.

"Chad? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, _Sonny_," He says nastily, and I panic. What if he's mad with me for last night? "I'm _busy, _actually. In _rehearsals _for my _job_." I sigh with relief. He's not mad - he's just with his cast mates.

I try not to laugh. As much as I enjoy our fake-fights, I should get this meeting with Dakota organised before she has a fan-girl break down. Creepy. "Um, Chad, could you excuse yourself for a minute? I want to talk to you about something, but it isn't the kind of thing you can reply crudely to."

"You're unbelievable." He mumble, keeping up the act, before saying something to his friends that sounds slightly like, "I'll be right back. Sonny's having a diva crisis and is blaming me with no evidence. Typical diva thing."

I chuckle under my breath. Yup, that sounds a lot like _the_ Sonny Munroe.

"Okay, the coast is clear." He says, "Wassup?"

"Well, I've been given this little girl from a charity to take care of for the day. She's a _fan…_" …Understatement of the century… "…of yours and she wants to meet you."

"Aw…" Chad coos, "Well, not right now. I'm kinda busy – rehearsals and stuff. Later, maybe?"

I sigh. Great. That means I'll probably have to live with Dakota whining for hours. This whole time I've been on the phone, she's been gripping onto my leg going "Please, please, please!". It's passed annoying and is now just creepy. Man, I don't like this girl…

* * *

><p>About an hour later, I arrive back at Melody Falls taping. I tell Dakota to be quiet and watch the show, and she sighs.<p>

"Is Chad gonna be on the show?"

"No." I say simply.

"Then I don't want to!" Dakota pouts, crossing her arms, and I feel like I'm gonna barf. This little crush she has is being taken _waaaaaay _to far…

I leave the little brat and get into position. I'm facing the wall of the set, but will turn around as soon as Marta/Penelope enters the scene. I turn around to see her studying Dakota along with two of the other cast members – Chastity and Skylar – and I sigh.

"Are you guys just gonna stand there like posts or are we gonna get this scene done?" I ask rudely as the diva inside me gets impatient. Marta – who plays Penelope, Melody's half-sister – rolls her eyes in a bored, listless way, before flicking through her script. Chastity stares me down, as if she's telling me to not be so rude, and Skylar just smirks at my comment and elbows Marta, whispering something into her ear. She sniggers and I roll my eyes again. Get a freakin' _room…_

"Okay, let's get this started!" Daniel says, "Action!"

"Melody!" Marta/Penelope's voice calls from behind me, angry, and I turn to face her over-dramatically. It's a good think I'm a good actress – I can hide the fact that this melodramatic show is _boring_. Even for me – the star.

I go to deliver my line, but in the corner of my eye, something – more some_one_ – is distracting me. Dakota is sat in one of the director's chairs, yawning… looking through my phone.

_My _phone.

That little weasel!

I run off the stage and snatch the phone from her. Daniel sighs, exasperated, and calls cut, but I'm too busy giving Dakota a stare-down to pay much attention to everyone's irritation.

"Do not. Touch this phone. Got it?" I say sternly. She just shrugs and sticks her tongue out, and I make a mental note to punch her later. Then I remember my morals Chad has brought out and erase the idea.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the hell that is rehearsals with Dakota ends and the hell that is free time in my dressing room with Dakota begins. I call Chad, who says he'd be happy to come meet this little girl now he's finished rehearsals. Believe me, Chad; you'll change your mind about that.<p>

He arrives a few minutes later, with a smile and a little muffin basket, courtesy of the cafeteria staff. I smile a little – you can say what you want about Chad, but he sure is giving. And sweet. And down-right adorable. I know that has nothing to do with our situation, but it's totally true.

"Hey!" He laughs, as Dakota's mouth drops open, "Where's this little girl?" He then gets attacked by a bundle of nine-year-old fan-girl material, and laughs, slightly more uncomfortably this time. "Hi there…" He says, "Dakota, right?"

"Mmm…" Dakota says, burying her head into his shirt, and Chad clears his throat, awkwardly, before motioning to me to do something. I shake my head, smirking. Gosh, I would so be enjoying this right now… if I didn't still have that _damned _crush on my best, and maybe only, true friend. Hey, at least she's not bugging me anymore. Well, sorta. It's bugging me that she's getting to hug him longer than I ever have. He pushes her off, awkwardly, clearing his throat, and that grim part in my core, the part that only has eyes for Chad, takes a satisfaction to that.

"Well…" Chad stammers as Dakota latches herself onto him again, "I've gotta get back to work…"

Chad makes a break for the door, but Dakota is fast. And strong. She pulls him back, and Chad falls backward onto my couch. He yells out in shock, before looking up at Dakota irritably.

"What the heck?" He yells. He gets up, but Dakota is blocking the door. I begin to feel very freaked out. And sick. Overly sick.

"Hey!" I yell, causing Chad and Dakota to jump to attention. I turn to Dakota, wanting to give her a piece of my mind for crushing on _my _Chad. "Dakota, you're just… creepy! Weird and creepy and obsessive and rude and…"

At that moment, the door opens and a familiar man in a suit comes in. Mr Condor, the head of the studios. And then, the most bizarre thing happens…

"Daddy!" Dakota yells, running over to Mr Condor. He picks her up, and she smiles. Chad and I gulp.

"Daddy?" We stutter, synchronised.

"What is going on in here? I heard yelling." Mr Condor bellows. I cringe. Chad and I are _dead _in this town, if Mr Condor knows the truth. Well, considering I was the one yelling, _I'm _dead.

"Oh, Sonny and I were just in disagreement on who thought you're little daughter was the cutest! Weren't we, Sonny?" Chad says with a grin. Huh, that's a good plan! I nod to Mr Condor, smiling.

"We sure were, Chad!" I say, with an equally bright grin. Mr Condor nods, confused, before leaving with Dakota at his side. The moment he closes the door, Chad and I sigh in relief, flopping down on the couch.

"That…" Chad exhales, "…was frightening."

"You got that right." I agree, and he laughs.

"But thanks for sticking up for me, with Dakota." He says, "I knew Children Having A Dream wasn't a real charity…"

"Yeah…" I say, "I'd never heard of C.H.A.D."

Chad groans, "C.H.A.D. I don't mean to sound big-headed here, but, do you think she made that up… coz of me?"

"Yup." I say, shuddering at the thought. Gross little girl…

"Sonny!" A voice yells outside the door, making Chad and I jump in shock. "Rehearsals! Leave that guy you're talking to alone and come on!"

I gulp. Skyler. If he finds out Chad's in here…

"Hurry up!" He yells, more persistent this time, "If you don't come out, I'm coming in after you!"

I turn to Chad, panicking, but he winks, hinting me to play along.

"Oh, go on, Sonny!" He yells, "Before your _boyfriend _gets angry!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" I reply, turning my voice volume to high. Very high.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry." Chad yells, "Your boyfriend_s _don't work on Melody Falls."

"I don't have boyfriends! In fact, I don't have _a_ boyfriend!" I reply, standing up and throwing my hands in the air for emphasis as Skyler opens the door, curious.

"Oh, yeah…" Chad says, "Now I remember. You don't have a boyfriend, because no-one loves you!"

The mean scowl on my face suddenly disappears as the tears brim in my eyes. Chad's words sting like a slap, and remind me of my past, or Tawni, of the dream I had the other night where Chad said those exact words. _No-one loves you…_ is that really the truth?

"Sonny?" A voice wakes me from my awful nightmare – the same voice that was mean, cruel, hurtful, nasty only a few seconds ago. Now he's upset, curious, apologetic. I look up to see Chad, frowning. "Sonny, I'm so sorry, I…"

Chad goes to hug me, but I push him away, shoving my way past Skyler.

"Tell Daniel I can't make it to work." I tell him. It's not a lie exactly – I'm not going to work. Not now. Not after that.

I'm going home.

Chad's POV

Sonny and I are really getting into the fight thing! We're pretty good, I have to say. Well, we both are pretty good actors anyway, so it isn't too hard.

"I don't have boyfriends! In fact, I don't have _a_ boyfriend!" Sonny yells. A small part of me smiles in victory – she's single – but I stay in character.

"Oh, yeah…" I say, "Now I remember. You don't have a boyfriend, because no-one loves you!"

The scowl on Sonny's face flees, and so does the act. Her eyes start to brim with tears and I realise what I just said. Oh no…

"Sonny?" I ask, checking if she's okay. She looks up at me, angry, hurt, and I sigh. "Sonny, I'm so sorry, I…"

She pushes me away as I try to comfort her, heading out of the door. She tells Skyler she's not going to work, and Skyler watches her leave, before turning to me, shocked.

"Dude, what was _that_?" He asks. I open my mouth to explain, but remember I can't. Skyler is a Fall guy… I can't tell him anything.

"I don't know…" I say, trying to not let the friend in me take over. "I'm just gonna go…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait." He says, stopping me at the door as I try to follow Sonny to see if she's okay. "Don't you _dare _follow her, Random."

"I wasn't gonna." I lie, "My work is that way. Duh."

I head towards So Random until I'm out of Skyler's view. I then text Tawni, telling her I can't make it to rehearsals before heading to Sonny's house, with a mission to apologise, and figure out what's wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaand that part will have to come later, because this chapter is freaking long enough. TEN PAGES, on Microsoft Word. Meh. SO. MUCH. TYPING!<strong>

**Please make it worthwhile with one of those lovely reviews? Pwetty pwease?**

**Thanks ;) Love you all :D**

**~Amy x**


	15. Sonny's Dark Side

**Hey, y'all! I'm back with another chapter! :D**

**All thanks to the motivation of k.98'PeaceOutSuckas, who, once again, has been awesome! This is for you, sister! ;D Ooh, and by that, do you mean a thumb war? Yeah, I remembered. That's what I think you're talking about...**

**And for the rest of you, of course. I've hit 200 reviews... BEFORE 15 CHAPTERS! I want to thank you all so very very much - that is, as I've said before, the most reviews any of my stories has ever received at such an early stage! I bet this story will do well! ;D**

**Also, a long time ago, I got a review with a good idea in it. From someone called 'Emily'. I loved it! So much so, that scene is gonna be in this chapter, tweeked a little.**

**So, this eppy is NOT based on anything (I don't know why I felt the need to put that in capitals...), it's just a whole load of Channy and discovering Sonny's secret! So... enjoy!**

**I don't own SWAC. Onwards ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 - Sonny's Dark Side<strong>

Chad's POV

I arrive at Sonny's house, after walking aimlessly for ages. I didn't exactly know where Sonny's house was, but I knew what street she lived in. I then just asked one of her neighbours which was her house.

And so, here I am.

I knock gently on the front door, waiting a few seconds before hearing footsteps towards the door. I was a little disappointed to see an older woman open the door – not Sonny. But, by the hair and the eyes, I take her as Sonny's mother.

"Hello." She smiles, scanning me like I'm one of those exotic creatures at the zoo no-one's ever seen before, "Do I know you?"

"Hey, no you don't," I say, smiling back friendlily, "Ms Munroe?" She nods, "Is Sonny home?" She nods again.

"Yeah, Allie came in a little while ago, but she went straight upstairs. I didn't get a chance to talk to her – she won't come out of her room to talk."

I blink, "Allie?"

"Sonny." She corrects, and I nod. Allie must be what her family calls her. Huh… why have two names? I knew 'Sonny' was short for Allison… but just assumed that everyone called her Sonny. Why… why does she have two nicknames? Or am I being fussy? I'm sure loads of people have two, maybe more, nicknames. I only have one. _Chaddy_. Oh joy. Oh, and _Random_, but I don't count that one.

Suddenly, a scream comes from upstairs, making me jump. Ms Munroe just sighs.

"She's at it again… every time either me or my husband goes to check on her, she just yells at us to get out."

I feel guilt churn in my stomach – sickly and horrible – but shake it away.

"Mind if I come in?" I ask, "I just need to talk to her about something."

She scans me, confused, and I realise she has no clue who I am.

"Oh, Chad Dylan Cooper." I introduce myself, "I work at Condor Studios, with Son– _Allie._"

"Ah, I see." She says, smiling welcomingly, before taking my hand and shaking it, "Connie Munroe. A pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Ms Munroe." I say, before she invites me inside and asks me if I want a drink. I accept some Coke to quench my thirst, before sitting on a couch in the front room. Ms Munroe sits on the armchair with a strong-smelling coffee, and she stirs it while talking to me.

"So, Chad," She says, "You came to see Allie?"

"Yup." I say, "I kind of said something… mean to her. I felt bad for it so I came to apologise."

Rather than saying anything, Ms Munroe rolls her eyes.

"That's Allie." She says, "She's always so closed off from everyone. She's been getting so distant for years now, and so easily offended – I'm worried about her. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells, sometimes."

I blink, taking a swig of my Coke and frowning, before hearing a thump from upstairs. A man then comes down the stairs, looks from Ms Munroe to me back to Ms Munroe.

"Connie?" He asks, "Who's this?"

"Oh, one of Allie's friends." Ms Munroe explains, "He wanted to come and talk to her."

The man snorts, rolling his eyes, "Good luck with that, buddy. She's been a wreck since she got home." The guilt in my stomach grows.

"So, where is Sonny?"

"In her room." Ms Munroe tells me. She leads me up the stairs, the man (who I suppose is her husband) following behind. We arrive at a door, with 'Sonny' written across in purple letters, along with a sign that reads 'Do Not Disturb'. I cringe.

I hear a scream inside the room, telling me to go away as I knock on the door, and come to the conclusion.

Sonny.

"Sonny, open the door." I say, and she quiets down, the screaming storm calms to a small ripple of sound.

"Ch-Chad?" She asks, her voice quivering.

"Yes, Sonny, it's me." I say, "Can I come in?"

She doesn't reply, but I'm not leaving until I've apologised for what I'd said. It was totally out of order, and it must've upset her. So, I enter the room to be faced with the most heartbreaking sight I've ever seen.

Sonny. Sat on her bed, clutching her legs, looking completely broken. She looks so… defeated, so _not _Sonny. Like a different person, a ghost of Sonny Munroe. She looks up at me with weary eyes, eyelashes damp from tears, and scowls.

"What are you doing here?" She growls. I walk over to the bed, feeling the urge to hug her, kiss her, tell her I'm sorry. Instead, I settle for just sitting on the bed next to her and smiling kindly. She frowns, turning away from me and crossing her arms and legs, closing me out. I sigh.

"Sonny, I am so sorry for what I said…" I say, "I just got carried away with that fight, and I said something stupid."

"It really hurt, you know." She mumbles after a few seconds silence, "What you said."

"I know," I say, "And I'm really sorry… please forgive me."

Sonny sighs, looking back at me with soft, sad eyes, before smiling a little. A small, sad smile, but it's a start.

"Am I forgiven?" I ask, and she nods.

"I suppose." She says. She kisses me softly on the cheek, and I feel the blood rush to my face as she does so, causing my cheeks to flame. Damn. I'm blushing. She pulls away, giggling, before clearing her throat. Her face shuts down emotionally, and she gets up and walks away, nonchalantly. It's like she's forgotten I'm there. I get up, following her, and she doesn't talk for a while, before taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Chad." She sighs, "But you need to leave. Now."

I groan, tired of this. Of Sonny hiding things from me – shutting me out of her life when something's clearly wrong. **(Here comes Emily's scene. I hope you're reading this!)**

"Why do you always do this?" I ask. She suddenly tenses a little.

"D-do what?"

"Whenever we get close, you just push me away." I explain, "Why? Do you find it hard to get close to people or something?"

Sonny sighs, a long, clam sigh, before she speaks. "I got too close to someone once, and then had my heart broken." She says, "I'm not letting it happen again."

I suddenly feel awful. Sonny… has been hurt before? The good thing here would be to hug her and leave.

Instead, I open my big mouth and let words come out.

"What happened?"

She doesn't reply.

"Was it a boyfriend?"

Nothing.

"Okay, not a boyfriend…" I decide, "A family member?"

Sonny tenses.

"A family member…" I breathe, "Your mom?"

She shakes her head. Ah, I thought so. Her Mom seemed so nice…

"Your dad?"

She tenses again. It was her dad… I remember the man in the living room. Was that her him? What did he do?

"Your dad… what did he do?"

Sonny spins around at this moment, a menacingly scowl on her face.

"Stop it, Chad." She growls, "Stop it now."

"Not until you tell me what happened." I say sincerely, before sighing, "I just want to help you, Sonny."

Sonny sighs loudly, wandering over to her bed and slumping down, lying there with one curl of brown hair stuck to her face. I sit next to her, resting her head on my shoulder, stroking her head comfortingly. After a few seconds of just sitting like that, Sonny sits up, exhales loudly, and speaks.

"My Mom and Dad always used to fight." She explains, "Dad was an alcoholic, and he was horrible to me and Mom… he'd… _abuse _her. And me, sometimes. He always tried to get me on his side, but I never trusted him. He was awful to both of us."

As her words start to quiver, I take her hand in mine, caressing it. She smiles sadly, before carrying on with her story. "So, when I was I was 11, the fights got worse. Soon, Dad went off for a walk, saying he'd be right back." She chokes on her words, "Five years later, he hasn't come back."

I gasp. That man downstairs wasn't Sonny's father - her father walked out on her, a long time ago.

"So, for that time, Mom was a wreck. And that made me a wreck. So I let my agent pick random shows to audition for to take my mind off of everything. But nothing could prepare me for what came afterwards, and what followed…"

She takes a deep breath, as a feel her hand in mine ball into a fist. "When I finally got my big break – Melody Falls – I was hoping this was a new start. I could be Allie Munroe – the girl everyone looked up to. I wanted to _inspire _people, be famous for good things rather than bad. But… it wasn't that easy. I was losing everyone, becoming distant because of Dad… Tawni kept saying I was getting boring, there were some bad things written about me in the press. And then… the worse thing came."

"I was thirteen, when my dad sent me a letter. He said that he had got remarried; found a new wife. She had a daughter about my age and he said that maybe it was best if we didn't see each other again. I haven't heard from him since." At that moment, the first tear falls down her cheek as she leans forward and bends over, sighing, clutching her hands together. "He replaced my mom." She whispers, "He replaced _me_."

I feel sympathy flood me before I notice her wrists and feel horrified.

Scars.

She has _scars_ on her wrists.

"S-sonny?" I say softly, "What are they?"

Sonny looks down from me to the wrists and winces. "I may have got… a little depressed when my dad left." She says, regretfully, "I stopped a while ago… but I don't think these things are ever gonna fade. I was kinda worried the press would pick on it so I'd wear long sleeves, jackets, big jewellery, things which hid the scars. I still do now, you may have noticed."

I look over to her dressing table, where a bunch of big, bright bracelets are piled up, next to a picture of a young girl with mousy-brown hair and a dazzlingly-bright smile. The badge on her pink T-shirt says "10 TODAY", and I realise this is a picture of Sonny, before her dad left. A girl who looks so smiley, excited, happy to be alive. A blonde-haired girl of about the same age is next to her - Tawni - and a banner is hung in the background which reads "Happy Birthday Allie!"

"Why did you change your name from Allie to Sonny?" I asked, and Sonny groans.

"It was just one of the many ways I protected myself." She explains, "After Dad left, and I was all upset, Tawni and I were growing distant. When we were thirteen, we had a fight, and this was about the time she joined So Random. She was one of the five original members – the only one still there today. They were snobs – if you think the Falls kids are bad, try living with the original Randoms. Anyway, they made Tawni pick between me and So Random, and guess what she picked."

"So Random." I catch my breath on the back of my throat.

"Bingo." She mumbles, "So, when Tawni left, and I got the letter from my dad, I realised everyone I'd ever properly _loved _was leaving me. Even Mom – she pretty much forgot I _existed_ when she got remarried to Johnny. Everyone I loved just ended up hurting me, so I decided to just give up on 'love' and shut everyone out. If I never fall in love again, I won't get hurt when they end up leaving me."

I bite my lip, so hard I can taste blood. So _that's_ why she never wants to get close. _That's_ why she ran off when I kissed her. _That's_ why she didn't want to be friends… it all makes _sense_ now.

"So, I made a whole different persona to protect myself." Sonny continues remorsefully, "I changed my style from comfy jeans and frilly skirts to skinny jeans and short skirts. I started to become a diva; bitchy, mean. 'Sonny' was what the Randoms called me during my times of depression as a 'joke'." She draws the quote marks in the air, "So, since I was changing everything to make my life look great, I made my name great too. Carefree, shining. Spectacular. Thus, _the Sonny Munroe _was born."

She rolls her eyes, chuckling emotionlessly, before collapsing back on the bed, spreading out her arms and moaning softly. I don't know what to do, so I lie down next to her, looking at her, trying for a smile. She scans me sceptically, before scowling.

"So, get out of here!" She says, trying for a yell but it comes out more a hoarse whisper, "You've heard what you wanted to hear, and frankly, I've told you too much."

I want to do what she asks, really – I just want to leave, forget everything I've heard and go back to normal. But I know I can't do that. Sonny needs me – whether she wants me here or not. She needs someone to love her, to show her that love isn't always bad. She needs a friend – a best friend, someone to care for her, to help her, to prove to her that she's been wrong about herself this whole time.

And, according to fate and that stinging sensation in my stomach, that person is me.

I put a gentle arm around her back, stroking it softly. She pushes me off and glares, but I just ignore it and continue. This time, she doesn't stop it.

"Please…" She murmurs, "Chad, stop. I don't want it to happen again."

"It won't." I promise her, "I swear. I want to help you, Sonny. Hearing your story… it just makes me feel awful that one of my friends caused this…" This was true. I know Tawni could be mean, but this… I was definitely gonna yell at her when I next saw her.

"I wanna help." I repeat, and Sonny sighs. A deep, long, meaningful sigh. She then looks up at, and I see a sparkle in her brown eyes – a sparkle that seems to have come back from the dead, a sparkle I've seen before, but only just been introduced to.

Allie Munroe.

She smiles a little, taking my hand and gripping it tightly, so tightly it hurts a little. I smile despite myself, stroking her hair softly.

"I promise, okay?" I say. She looks up at me again, with hopeful, glistening eyes.

"You promise you won't leave Hollywood? You won't leave me?"

I chuckle, "I'm going back to Wisconsin next week, just for my birthday." I say, "But after that, I promise I'll always be here for you."

Sonny pouts. "Can I come? Just to make sure you don't run off."

I roll my eyes, "If I take you with me, we'd be risking being seen together by the paps, which could lead to all sorts of speculations. Plus the taunting from my cousins, who'll think we're dating. You think the paparazzi are bad, my cousins will accidentally _destory_ us."

"Aww…" Sonny whines, sulking like a little kid, before elbowing me jokingly and I grin. "Too bad…"

"Yup." I say, "So you stay here like a good little diva, and I'll be back before you can say Sonny Munroe!"

"Pwomise?" She asks, mimicking a cross between a little girl and a puppy, and I laugh.

"Pinky pwomise." I say, offering my pinky finger to her, and she smirks, before wrapping her own pinky around mine. She then hugs me tightly, perching herself on my lap, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and I chuckle.

"You comfy there?" She nods into my shirt, "Well, that's peachy. Coz I'm freakin'_ not_!"

"Whoops!" She giggles, shuffling off with an awkward smile, "My bad!"

"Your bad indeed." I smirk, before clearly my throat awkwardly, "Well, I need to get back to work. And so do you. Okay?"

Sonny groans, crossing her arms tenaciously, "Why can't we just hang out here?"

"Because, first off, this is our jobs we're talkin' bout," I say, counting on my hand, "Second, our boss is scarier than Simon Cowell, and _way _tougher. And that means that if either of us miss a day, we'll end up getting fired. And if I get fired, I have to go back to Wisconsin, and then I don't keep my promise. And I never break a promise to my buddies."

Sonny pouts, annoyed, "If you got fired, you could stay in my house!" I stare her down for her ridiculous idea, and she rolls her eyes, throwing her arms up in the air for exaggeration, "Fine." She mumbles.

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good." I finish, taking her hand, "We should probably arrive back separately, y'know, just in case anyone spots us. Make sense?"

"S'pose." Sonny shrugs, leaving the room and heading downstairs. I follow her. "I'll drive us there, coz honestly, you can't drive.

"The whole damn truth." I wink, and Sonny stifles a laugh.

"We can just separate then, and if anyone catches us, just put on the act."

"Got it." I say, "And, um, anything I say this time, remember – I don't mean any of it."

"I'll remember." Sonny says, "Don't worry."

* * *

><p>We drive along, talking randomly, before Sonny looks my way, her big-rimmed sunglasses blocking her chocolate eyes. "Chad?" She says softly, "Um, don't make a big deal about my crappy life, okay? Don't tell anyone – not even your family, or the Randoms."<p>

"I won't." I say, "Promise."

"Good." She grins, "Ooh, and please – I know you, and you seem to be the kind of guy who gets protective of his friends. Please, if I'm being picked on by any of your jerk-y friends – _don't_."

"I won't." I say, but already know it's a lie. I'm on a collision course with Tawni, and I know it's gonna be a big explosion.

She is gonna be in so much trouble for hurting one of my friends…

* * *

><p>Sonny and I arrive at Condor Studios, and, unluckily, Marta, Skyler, Ferguson and Chastity are outside, looking around. My guess, Skyler told the others about mine and Sonny's… <em>confrontation. <em>

They spot the car immediately and I notice the instant shared looks of both confusion and displeasure on their faces. Apart from Chastity, who just looks confused. Aw, at least one Falls kid besides Sonny doesn't think I'm the human equivalent of crap on their shoe.

Sonny shoots me a worried look when she sees them, and I shrug.

"Showtime." I stage-whisper. She nods, before putting a disgusted, listless look on her face. I cross my arms and pull a face that makes me look like I wanna be anywhere else but here.

"What is _that guy _doing with you?" Marta is the first to speak, crossing her arms and staring between me and Sonny, as we get out of the car. Oh, so Marta can't even remember my name. How sweet.

"Mr Thoughtful here came to my house to apologise for being a _jerk_, before realising he doesn't _drive_."

"Okay, fine." I put my hands up in fake surrender, "So I wanted to apologise for being rude to the _Queen_ of _Mean_, and I'm only 15 years old so I don't yet have my license. Officer, take me away."

Sonny rolls her eyes, "You're pathetic."

"Diva." I contradict, and she scowls.

"Just get back to Chuckle City, you little weirdo."

"As you command, Your Diva-ness." I mock, bowing jokingly, and I'm sure I see Chastity giggle a little. Huh. Not bad, then. "Peace out, suckahs!" I then say, giving them a 'peace' sign and running off, leaving a bunch of confused Dramas and a giggling friend in my smoke.** (I can't remember whether Peace Out Suckahs is Sonny's or Chad's thing in this story. Meh, now it's Chad's.)**

Success, I believe.

Now, to deal with a bigger fish.

Sonny's POV

"Just get back to Chuckle City, you little weirdo." I say to Chad, with the eyes of my cast on me. Chad smirks, and I try not to laugh because I know this fight is ridiculous and fake. And kinda fun.

"As you command, Your Diva-ness." He says, bowing and I watch as my cast-mates watch him like he's an idiot. Apart from Chastity, who just looks like the little clockworks are moving around in her head. Chastity isn't the brightest star, but she's surely brighter than the rest of those pea-brains. And I think she's sussing something about me and Chad – out fight is fake, our friendship does exist, I have feelings for him and am only doing this to protect us… something like that.

Whatever it is, I don't think she's as clueless as the others, who just look like they think Chad is their minor and all should hail Melody Falls.

Losers.

Obviously, Chad notices the awkwardness. He shows a 'peace' sign, yelling "Peace out suckahs!" and running down the street towards Stage 3. I stifle a laugh, holding my hand in front of my mouth to stop the cast members from seeing it.

"What the heck was that?" Skyler asks.

"Just Chad being a Random." I comment, studying my nails like a good little diva, before strutting towards Stage 2. My herd of a cast follows, stunned and confused, and I smirk.

Looks like Chad and I are gonna pull this friendship thing off after all.

Tawni's POV

Chad arrived back from wherever he went to a few minutes ago, and since then, he's been avoiding me. I'm sure of it. He's been talking to everyone else, apart from me. He keeps sending me these looks, and I'm kind of worried that he's angry with me.

So, when rehearsals finish, I go up to him and try to talk to him.

"Chad?" I say. He looks at me, sighing, looking disappointed. "Have I done anything wrong? You seem to be kind of angry with me."

"Don't worry about it, Tawni." He says, "You won't care."

He then walks off, shouting back that he's going home. I watch him, confused.

…What's his problem?

* * *

><p><strong>And that was that! Soz for the amount of angst in that one, but hey, I hope the fluffyness at the end and Chad rejecting Tawni (in a way) made up for it. Yay for anti-Chawni!<strong>

**Anyways... review, pretty please? Love you all! You're so amazing - I have the best FF family EVER!**

**Peace out! ;D**

**~Amy x**


	16. Sweet Sixteenth

**Hey guys! Well, first of all I'm glad you guys enjoyed last chapter. I was hoping you would :D**

**Now, before we get started I have a few things I would like to say...**

**Nushie - yup, it was meant to be like FTLOAD. You shall see why in a few chapter's time. **

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - Glad you loved it :D Yes, I've read both the stories, and I love them BOTH! Sorry I haven't mentioned this before, I always forget. But I remembered this time... I honestly wish you had an account so I could review your stories! :'(**

**Okayyy... chapter time! This one's based on Promises, Prom-misses, but because I thought a prom was too girly for Chad, plus his birthday is coming up, this shall be his birthday episode! Yay! *sings Happy Birthday*. Join in guys! :D**

**Ooh, and I just noticed - this is the sixteenth chapter and it is based on Chaddy's sixteenth birthday :P Neat, huh? ;P**

**So... enjoy :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16 - Sweet Sixteenth<strong>

Chad's POV

"I'm really sorry, Jacob, I wish I could come…"

I'm on the phone to one of my Wisconsin buddies, who I'm apologising to. There's a super important interview that all members of So Random have to attend, on the 4th October (the morning after my birthday), and so I can't make it home to Wisconsin for this 'surprise' sixteenth birthday party my friends have organised, because I wouldn't make it back to the interview and then I'd probably lose my job.

Boo.

I was excited to go back and see my old friends, hang out with them like old times. California is great, but nothing beats the homey feel of Wisconsin. But thanks to this stupid interview, I can't make it back home, just for the week. And I was so excited for it…

"Sorry again, but my job needs to take priority here." I tell Jacob, one of my old friends, who has gathered everyone else and has them on speaker phone. I hear mumbles of 'no fair' and 'stupid job' and 'we can't have the party without you!'

"You're gonna have to." I sigh sadly, "I don't want to miss it, but I'm gonna have to. And if you guys have put in all this hard work, I don't want it to go to waste."

I hear the smirk in Jacob's response, "Ah… always the nice one, Chaddyo. Nice to see the big time hasn't changed you."

"Yup." I say, putting fake enthusiasm into my voice, "So, you guys just enjoy the party. Ooh, and call me when you cut the cake! And send some over for meh."

"Na…" Danny, another friend, laughs, "We're eating it ourselves! You wanna piece, come get it."

"You guys suck." I pout jokingly, and a ripple of chuckles floods the other side of the phone.

"You're awesome too, Mr Comedian." Jacob laughs, "We'll call on your birthday… if we don't still have hangovers from the party!"

"Haha, hilarious, Jake." I drawl, "A bunch of 15 and 16 year olds drinking. Like that isn't against the law."

"We're kidding, dude." Danny says.

"I know." I say, "You guys wouldn't be able to handle alcohol. I remember you're bad enough with cola."

The other line erupts with laughter, and I smirk. My friends – awesome, but a bunch of dolts. Meh, they're still pretty cool, despite that.

"Well, I gotta go hang out with a buddy, so I'll talk to you guys later."

"Ooh, a new _Hollywood_ buddy?" Another friend, I recognise as Terence asks, suspicious, "He's not better than us, is he?"

"Terry, what the heck am I supposed to say to that?" I smirk.

"He _is_ better than us!" Jacob moans, and I roll my eyes. I dare not tell them this 'friend' is a girl. That would cause fireworks and eternal embarrassment for me.

Not good.

"You guys are way too possessive; I really have to go now."

"Okay, have fun with your _friend_." Jacob says with a joking whine in is tone.

"I will, you weirdo." I say, "Later."

I then hang up and set my course to Melody Falls, to see Sonny before she gets back to work.

Over the last week we've got into quite a routine. We have our good days and our bad days. On good days, Sonny drives me into work everyday, but drops me off down the street just so it doesn't look like we've arrived together, and if we get caught we just put on the act again. Then, we head to our respective shows and text each other, making sure we've changed our names on each other's phones just so that none of our casts notice that we're talking to each other. Sonny is down as Allie or Allison (which is fine, because only Tawni knows about Sonny's previous life as Allie Munroe, and she never sees my phone anyway. She doesn't care) and I'm down as Dylan or Cooper.

No-one expects a thing.

Afterwards, one of us goes to the other's dressing room and we just hang out, talk, before leaving out the back doors so that no-one notices.

Bad days are different. These are days when Sonny's day at work hasn't gone well, or her mom and step-dad have been arguing the night before, so she's in a mood. On those days, I take her some lunch, making sure she eats, and talk to her about what's going on at home, at work, who I have to spread rumours about or beat up for revenge. Usually she's better after that, and if she isn't, I just take her home (yes, _I _drive. And I haven't killed us yet, but I'm lucky to have not been arrested or fined or something. Oh well, a few days and I'll have my licence).

No-one has suspected anything, or at least we think so. We're doing well with this secret friendship thing, better than anyone would've expected.

Sonny seems to have been getting along better, anyway. There have been no bad stories about her in the press, she has only once broke down about her father, and when she did, I hugged her, holding her tight, telling her to stay strong or humming softly into her ear.

I'm proud of her. She's changing, for the better. And, I don't want to brag, but it's because of me.

I enter her dressing room, but she's nowhere in sight. And when she comes out of the bathroom (yes, she has a bathroom in her dressing room o_O), I gasp at what I see.

She has a black eye.

I run up to her, hugging her, and she recoils, confused.

"Cooper!" She giggles like nothing's wrong at all, "Wassup? Having a nightmare?"

"Well, considering you seem to have been attacked, yes, I think I am." I say. She pulls away from the hug, looking at me, puzzled. I motion to her eye, and she reaches for it before laughing.

"Oh, yeah, that!" She giggles, and I shake my head. Okay, my best friend in the whole of this damned crazy state finds it funny that she's hurt. I must be dreaming. "No, it's make-up." She explains, rubbing it a little, smudging it, and my heart sighs in relief.

"Thanks for telling me that before I had a heart attack." I say, shooting her a menacing glare. She just smirks and collapses onto her couch. I do the same, wrapping an arm around her back, and she rests her head on my chest.

Okay, I know what y'all are gonna say… but we're just friends. Friends can hug, right? Right. So that's what we're doing – hugging, as friends.

And I don't have that crush on her anymore, coz she _is _my friend.

Yup.

"So, two days till your birthday." Sonny mumbles as my hand wanders up and down her back as a comfort thing, "I'll give you your prezzie tomorrow, before you go to Wisconsin."

"Uh, about that…" I say, "Can't go to Wisconsin. I have an interview on the morning of my birthday, so there's no point going home or I'll miss the interview and then get fired."

Sonny pouts, "Too bad. That's so disappointing…" I know she's glad that I can't go to Wisconsin, no matter what she says – she was so disappointed that I had to go and she couldn't come, and I don't think she'd be happy if I got fired, because that I'd have to go back to Wisconsin, forever. She'd miss me, I guess. And I know I'd miss her too. A lot. Maybe even more than the Randoms…

"I kinda wish I could go back though." I murmur into her hair, "My friends went through all that trouble for me, and I'm not gonna be there for it."

"Shame." Sonny pouts, "Well, what if we…"

Before Sonny can propose an idea, a loud knock on the door makes us pull away from each other in shock, before Marta's annoying voice echoes through the door.

"C'mon, Sonny!" She yells, "We've gotta get to rehearsals."

Sonny looks my way in horror, and I get up, walking to the back of the room and climbing out the window. I wave her a little goodbye, before ducking so that Marta can't see me as Sonny opens the door and leaves to rehearsals. I leave it a few minutes, just in case, before heading back to So Random. I send a text to 'Allie'.

_**Will you still be able to take me home?**_

I arrive at So Random a few minutes later, and get a reply.

_Don't text me while I'm working! We had to stop coz of you. :P No, I can't drive you. We have extra rehearsals. Sowweeeee! :(_

_**Haha, whoopsies! My bad… ;) Oh shame :( I'll just find another ride. Don't sweat it. :) Oh wait… I left my So Random script in your room! DAMN!**_

_Cool :D Haha, don't worry, I'll drop it off at So Random when I get a moment's break. _

_**Aw, you would come all the way to Chuckle City for me's? I'm touched :'D Thanks ;D**_

_No prob, bud. xD Well, I'd best go before people get suspicious. Laters. _

I put away my phone with a smile just as Nico and Grady bundle up, grinning.

"Texting your little girlfriend again, Chad?" Nico asks with a smirk.

I roll my eyes, annoyed. Ever since I first had to cover for me and Sonny, when Grady and Nico saw me texting to 'Allie', they've been convinced I've been texting my girlfriend _Allie_ from Wisconsin.

Embarrassing.

"She's not my girlfriend." I insist, but they will have none of it.

"You have to bring her to Hollywood sometime, so we can meet her." Grady says, and I shake my head. There's no convincing these guys. They're almost as bad as Jacob, Danny and Terence, and they're the _worse_ when it comes to staying _out _of my love life.

…N-not like Sonny's part of my love-life, course not! It's just that, Nico and Grady think she is…

And they don't even know it's her!

So… yeah.

Before I get interrogated by the nosy patrol any longer, Marshall tells us all we have to get ready for rehearsals, and I flee to my dressing room where my costumes are waiting. I borrow a spare script, because Sonny hasn't been able to drop mine off yet, and we get to work.

* * *

><p>Rehearsals fly by, apart from scenes where Tawni and I work together, which are awkward. I think Tawni has picked up on the fact I'm mad at her for something, but she hasn't quite figured out what.<p>

And for that, I'm glad. If she knew I was mad at her for hurting _Sonny_ of all people, she'd get suspicious of our relationship with each other and possibly angry at me for being on Sonny's side… No, scratch that. She'd _definitely _get angry. In fact, she might rip my head off, for being friendly with Sonny Munroe, her biggest enemy, the girl she considered a friend all those years ago until the fall-out of the century. Which, in all fairness, _she _started.

She seems to be avoiding me, avoiding trouble, and for that I'm glad too. I'm avoiding her as well. Right now, she's the person I just wish I could get away from. She's definitely not the person I'll ask to drive me home… maybe I'll just call Mom.

"Chad?"

A voice wakes me from my thoughts, and I look around to see the other Randoms smiling, apart from Tawni, who looks slightly awkward.

"So, you're going back to Wisconsin tomorrow?" Nico says, his smile falling to a frown, "Man that's tough… what are we gonna do without you?"

Zora whacks him upside the head, which makes me smirk, "He's going for a week, idiot."

"Actually," I interrupt, despite the hilariousness of this situation, "I'm not going at _all_. I had to cancel, coz of the interview on Sunday."

I can see the relief in some of their faces – particularly Nico and Grady, who were obviously convinced I was leaving forever – before getting my phone out of my pocket and dialling my mother's number. Rehearsals are almost over, I've finished all my sketches… and I'm going home.

The other Randoms watch me in confusion. "Whatcha doing?" Grady asks.

"Calling my mom to pick me up." I say simply.

"But… rehearsals ain't over yet!" Tawni frowns. I roll my eyes at her lack of proper grammar – 'ain't' is not even a word (ha. It seems everything that would bug me only slightly in normal situations is amplified five-hundred times for Tawni. I'm being melodramatic).

"It's finished for me." I shrug, "So I'm just gonna go. I'm kind of feeling sick."

The Randoms mumble get-better-soon's and see-you-later's and I smile them a thank you and leave. My Mom texts me back, that she's on her way, and I'm glad. I just wanna get out of here before someone figures out I was lying and I'm not _actually _sick.

Okay, so I wasn't lying exactly – I am sick; _home_sick anyways. I was excited to go home and see everyone – my friends, my family… and I don't get to now. I have this little home in my heart, which used to be filled by my home. California is awesome, but, as the saying goes, there's no place like home.

Tawni's POV

Rehearsals are awkward, as they have been for the last week or so – Chad and I haven't talked properly for ages, and I'm starting to worry. What have I done to make him evade me like this? It's kind of worrying… I thought we were doing well!

Well, obviously I was mistaken…

And now, Chad is walking off, going home, coz he claims he's "sick". Yet he seemed perfectly fine, running around the studio like he was on a sugar high while playing Fred Figglehorn earlier **(So Random reference)**. I don't think he's sick – I think he's trying to get away from me…

"Sup, Randoms?"

Well, Chad may not truly be sick, but I think I might be now. I turn around, along with my fellow cast mates, to see Sonny Munroe, strutting over like she owns the place with a thick pile of paper in her hands.

Ugh.

"What are you doing here?" I ask her, biting my lip to stop myself from saying anything crude – Marshall's just over the other side of the set, on the phone to his mother, and I don't want him hearing what I would say. Those kinda words would get a person – me – fired.

Sonny shoots me a disgusted look – almost like she's mad at me for something stupif like she didn't give me permission to _speak_ – before chucking the paper stack my way. I look at it, flick through it… it's a So Random script.

"Your little _friend_ left this at the Falls earlier, while playing a stupid little prank on us." She explains, holding her head high and pulling a face, like she smells something bad. "Tell the blonde-haired _freak _we don't welcome comedy at the Falls."

I feel my hands clench into fists when she calls Chad a _freak. No-one _calls Chad Dylan Cooper a freak… he's _not_ a freak. He's sweet and kind and cute and… I'm ranting about him again, aren't I?

Huh.

"Why don't you just go back to wherever it is you're meant to be?" I ask, "You're surely not welcome here, that's for sure."

"Yeah." She says, the scowl shying away and leaving a frown, close to a pout. "You made that pretty clear all those years ago."

I stick out my tongue, rather childishly, but I can't help it – our past was a long time ago, and it's a scary place. We were young, foolish… I can't really make sense of what happened back then. All I do know is, one minute Sonny and I were best friends, and then suddenly we drifted apart.

I've never made sense of that – was it just because we started to move on, be different people, go on to different worlds? Was it something I said, Sonny said, that made us fall out?

Whatever it is, Sonny doesn't seem too keen on it. She walks off a little, wiggling her butt (just because I think a glimpse of her past came out, and she's trying to disguise it), before pausing at the door.

"It's Chad's birthday in a few days, right?" She asks, not turning around.

"What's it to you?" Nico asks. It's that moment I realise the others have been there, that whole time. I suppose that's why Sonny was walking out so dramatically – she wanted to protect herself. She'd let her little diva thing slip, and was getting back in character.

Pfft… how _stupid_.

"Just… wondering." Sonny says, "If it is, I feel like gracing him in some way."

"Na…" I ponder, "I think you arriving at his birthday will make him _worse._"

"Whatever." She shrugs, turning to face us and raising her hands slightly in peace and surrender, "I just felt like being nice for a day, okay? I miss doing that sometimes." She clears her throat, holding her head high, before saying, "I have an idea. Just a… a birthday party or something? Coz he's missing his one in Wisconsin."

I feel my brow crease with confusion, "How do you know about that?"

Sonny shrugs, tapping her nose and smirking, "I know things, you see."

I decide not to question any more. "Fine, we'll do that." I say, "But not because you said so – only because it's something nice for Chad."

Sonny nods, "Cool." She says, "Oh, and after the party, I hate you all again."

"_After_ the party?" I smirk as she starts to walk out.

"Hilarious." She says, and I can almost hear her rolling her eyes, before she walks down the hallway and back towards the Falls.

I have to admit… Sonny may be evil… but she actually does have a sweet side… it seems. At least my old friend hasn't totally gone…

Okay, did I _just _say that? Forget I did it, I still hate Sonny totally.

Yup.

Chad's POV

My birthday comes, and it's as boring as expected. I suffer through the interview, wishing I was somewhere, anywhere but here. I want to be in Wisconsin, enjoying my birthday. Meh, I love home _way_ too much.

Thing is, where I come from, everyone knows everyone's birthdays. Here, half the people I know barely acknowledge it – it's only the people I work with, my Mom, and of course Sonny, who actually care enough to say "happy birthday".

And I know I may be overreacting, but hey – birthdays in California are way off birthdays in Wisconsin. It just feels a whole lot different, weird… not right.

I don't like it.

Wow… I'm being over-patriotic, but towards a single state.

Huh. I guess I'm just weird like that. And overly home sick.

The bizarre thing is though; everyone's being totally odd towards me today – they're speaking in code to each other, whispering and laughing. Even Sonny seemed totally weird, talking in the same code, saying stuff like "I just hope tonight is as amazing as that song!" or "I think I should go out and buy that for tonight." What the heck is so great about tonight?

And whenever I ask that question, all anyone can say it "You'll see…" and wink.

It's seriously bugging me. And it's made me totally suspicious…

But… a little excited, too.

And so, when I get a text from Tawni later in the evening, who tells me to come to So Random, well-dressed, I'm bursting with anticipation.

* * *

><p>I arrive at the So Random, dressed in the best I could find at short notice – black jeans, a light blue shirt and darker blue jacket – and head towards the stage. Inside, I hear random chuckles and whispers, before someone stage-whispers, "Everyone, shush!" I open the doors to a dark room, before the lights flash on and every jumps up, yelling "Surprise!" I look around the room, where a dance floor is packed in the corner, food tables are crowded with hungry-looking people, and a huge banner reading "Happy 16th Birthday, Chad!" spreads across the top of the room. I hang my head in embarrassment. Of course – a surprise birthday party. Coz I can't get home for mine.<p>

How awesome!

I'm suddenly surrounded by a crowd of happy, smiling, over-excited people. Each one of them has a box of various sizes, and I shake each one of them with curiosity and excitement, before placing them in a big plastic bag to take home.

After the post-arrival enthusiasm, everyone (bar Sonny and the Randoms) wanders off to do their own thing – dance, eat, talk – and I'm left with aforementioned friends.

"And may I assume this was all your idea?" I ask the Randoms with a grin, and they all shrug.

"Actually, as much as we hate to admit it," Nico says, "It was Sonny's idea."

Sonny is stood behind them, hiding her face behind her hair, and I push through them, greeting her with a smile.

"This was your idea?" I ask, a hint of shock in my voice, because the Randoms are still watching, and don't know about our friendship.

"Yeah…" She says, hands on hips, "I just felt like spreading happiness through the studio, so this is courtesy of me – Sonny Munroe."

I cover my mouth as I hide my laugh at her dramatic tone, trying to act like I still hate the girl even though she's done the nicest thing to happen to me since I arrived in California. And not just that – she's been the best friend here. She's done so many nice things for me… how am I still meant to hate her?

And then I get a plan.

"So…" I say, "How about we call it a truce for tonight, just so that this awesome party isn't ruined?"

Sonny grins, catching on with my plan, "Sounds good. But… tomorrow, I hate you again."

I smirk, "Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine." She giggles, and I turn to face the Randoms.

"That means you guys too, okay?"

They all shrug, reluctant. They all mumble signs of agreement, and I take Sonny's hand and drag her to the dance floor, the Randoms following.

Tawni's POV

I drive home that night, peeved, tired and confused.

Peeved, because my attempts with Chad failed tonight. That was the only reason I went along with Sonny's plan – to try and make Chad happy, and maybe get him. Okay, so I like him. Problem? Didn't think so.

Tired, because that was a long night. And then they expected me to clean up afterwards! What did I look like – the flipping maid?

And confused, because there seemed to be one main reason I couldn't get with Chad – Sonny Munroe. They seemed awfully close – and not just close because of their truce – but seriously close. Almost like they'd been friends for years. I knew I should be mad at this… but then, this strange behaviour could all just be because of their truce… right?

…_Right_?

* * *

><p>Luckily… my suspicions are cleared the next day, when we are walking as a cast and Sonny passes. She glares up and down Chad, before turning away.<p>

"Randoms." She scoffs.

"Air-head." Chad replies.

"Not gonna reply to that!" Sonny chirps.

"Good!" Chad smirks, mocking her tone.

"Good."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Sonny storms off dramatically, Chad takes a seat and tucks into his food, twitching his leg the way he always does when Sonny annoys him and I just sit and smile.

Looks like I was worried for nothing…

Chad can still be mine.

* * *

><p><strong>So... that was that chapter! Now I need helpsies from y'all. <strong>

**So, the next chapter is meant to be set on the episode "The Heartbreak Kids"... to be honest unless I just did a rewrite of that episode and throwed in a little more Channy... I got nothing.**

**So... this is where you guys come in! Should I do this episode? (If I should, I need you to give me some ideas)... Or should I just skip it? (and does it help to say the next chapter after that would be Battle of the Network Stars)? It's up to you guys!**

**Peace out! And remember to review!**

**~Amy x**


	17. Meddling and Heartbreak

**Hey! I'm back!**

**So, after a long time of thinking... (ha! 30 minutes) ...I decided to do The Heartbreak Kids. And the ideas faintly came from k.98'PeaceOutSuckas, who, once again, has continued to be one of my biggest fan and one of my bestest sisters! Love ya, sissy! :D**

**So, yeah, this chapter is dedicated to her for being awesome! Duh ;D**

**Also, shout-out to MrB.o.B1990 and his awesome story Sonny Verses The World! I promised I'd promote his story in LWMS, and then DIDN'T! :O So I'll do it here :) Hey, Bobbie! ;D**

**Okay then... I think that's it... Gosh, I hate forgetting to say things in A/Ns! I just want to thank y'all again for being awesomely awesome and giving me 16 or 17 reviews last chapter... I totally appreciate every review I get! And everything else too - favourites, alerts... seriously guys, thanks so much! :D**

**Okay, onto the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17 - Meddling and Heartbreak<strong>

Sonny's POV

"Thanks so much for the party again, Sonshine…"

I'm lying on my bed, in my room, on the phone to Chad. Because the Randoms were at his party earlier, he couldn't thank me for thinking of it without having to make it sound sarcastic or rude. So right now I'm super glad to be talking to my best friend, at about 3am, while Mom and Johnny are just down the hall, in their bedroom, not shouting each other's heads off for once in their whole damned relationship.

Ah. Life feels good.

"No problem, Coopie." I smirk, "Just remember, now you owe me something!"

"Like what?"

I blink, "I… don't… know… but something!"

I can hear Chad stifle a laugh, "You know how much this sounds like a bad episode of Melody Falls?"

A laugh a little, before realising he's being offensive towards my show. I growl, and Chad gasps.

"Or a good one…?"

I can't help but snigger. "Yeah…" I say, "Funny, that."

Chad laughs quietly, before clearing his throat. "Um, well, I'd best be going. Got a lot of prep for this week's show tomorrow."

"Yeah, I should go too." I say, "I need to be in work early tomorrow, after missing rehearsals the other day."

I can almost hear Chad roll his eyes, "And why, my dear…" He sighs, "…did you miss rehearsals?"

I smile innocently, rubbing the back of my neck, "I might have been doing the prep for your party…"

Chad chuckles, "Sonny, love ya lots, buddy, but please… _don't _risk your job for me. If you weren't in that studio every day I think I'd get bored."

"Aw…" I smirk, "You don't mean that!"

"Meh, maybe…" Chad says, "So, see ya tomorrow?"

"Yup!" I say.

"Oh, and don't come pick me up." He adds, "I can legally drive now, remember?"

"Uh oh…" I say, gasping in fake horror, "I have a feeling the accident rates in this area are gonna increase!"

"Ha, ha," Chad says, his voice flat and sarcastic, "_Hilarious._"

"I know!" I say in typical Sonny Munroe big-headed fashion, flicking my hair and giggling, "See ya."

"Bye."

* * *

><p>So, the next day, I'm in the studio super early (which isn't great – I'm tired. I had next to no sleep last night after talking till Chad till late, so I've had about 4 and a half hours sleep, considering it's now 9am and it took me forever to get to sleep).<p>

I need to apologise to Daniel **(remember the director?) **for not being in yesterday after I was, uh, helping prepare Chad's birthday party. Well, I'm kinda worried I'll be in trouble for missing the whole day (or at least a considerable amount of it), and, as much as I really dislike the cast (big-heads) and storyline (repetitive) of this show, I really don't want to be jobless. And it's like Chad said – if I can't be in the studio, I can't see him all the time, and that would mean boredom, and possibly something a little darker. I even miss Chad when I'm at home and he's not with me – and I know, that sounds like something a girlfriend would say, but I'm not his girlfriend – I'm his friend. Totally over the crush.

Yup.

So, I walk up to Daniel, trying to ignore the glares of my cast mates (they find it odd when I come in _early_ – Sonny Munroe prep takes time in the morning), and tap him on the shoulder, putting on a pout that looks like that of a little kid (hey, I've had practice).

"Hi… Dan…" I say, but he seems distracted. I peer over his shoulder to see he has his phone out. I can just about make out the text, and it says something like…

"_Sorry, Dan. But we're over. Goodbye x"_

"Oh, Dan…" The words escape from my mouth, and I feel like an idiot for trying to get involved. I mean, Sonny Munroe isn't meant to care about this. What is Dan – what are my cast – gonna say about this? That I've gone crazy? That I _actually _care? Well, I do, of course, but these guys can't know this.

"Huh?" Dan looks around to see me and smiles sadly. "Oh, hey Sonny!" He says, "Where, uh… where were you yesterday?"

"Oh, busy with a friend…" I say, biting my lip, before looking around to see if my cast are around and lowering my voice, "Are you… okay?"

Dan just shrugs, "My girlfriend just broke up with me… but don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."

"I-I wasn't worrying." I say, stuttering a little, trying to protect my bad girl persona. I still feel awful for him. He seems so down about his break-up. I hate seeing people upset, no matter how much Sonny Munroe denies caring for others. Dan looks at me, confused, his eyebrow raising a little, before he shakes his head and claps his hands, getting everyone's attention.

"Okay, guys," He says, "Let's get started…"

* * *

><p>"Okay, so lemme get this straight…" My friend sighs, as I watch him pace a little, sat on the couch on his dressing room. "Your director's girlfriend broke up with him, and you – Sonny Munroe – want to get them back together?"<p>

I nod, bashfully, "He just seemed kinda… upset, you know?"

"Mmm…" Chad says, "So… remind me why exactly you want me to help you get them back together?"

"Because…" I wince, "…you're always meddling in people's business, and I think you'll be in your element!"

Chad rolls his eyes, before smiling bitter-sweetly. "Gee, thanks buddy! That's so sweet of you to say!"

"I know, right?" I wink, "So, will you do it?"

Chad sighs, rolling his head back to the ceiling, before he looks back down at me, his eyes just on contact with mine, because my unbelievably high-heels add quite a few inches to my extremely short height, "Fine." He says.

"Yay!" I clap, successfully, before grabbing his hand and leading him out of Condor Studios and towards my car. I feel eyes on me though, and look around warily to make sure no-one is watching us. When I've concluded there's no-one around, we make our way to Dan's ex-girlfriend's house.

Soon-to-be girlfriend.

* * *

><p>A few days later, and I arrive at after-rehearsals class, exhausted. I look around the room – every usually air-brushed cast-mate in some way resembles a zombie, and Ferguson is almost falling asleep on his desk. Ms Bitterman, the studio's teacher, raps her ruler on the desk in front of him, and he jumps in shock, alarmed, before collapsing back onto the desk and making a noise that sounds similar to a snore. In fact, it probably <em>was<em> a snore. Ms Bitterman sighs and gives up, before turning to me in the doorway.

"Miss Munroe…" She says, "Are you going to just stand there?"

I sigh, shattered, before walking over to my desk and falling into the chair, resting my weak head on my hands. I zone out from Ms Bitterman's lecture on whatever-it-is, and begin to fall into sleep.

Confused as to how all this happened? How the air-bruushed 'stars' of Melody Falls began to resemble the undead? Well, I'll tell you…

So, Chad and I succeeded in getting Dan and his girlfriend Jess back together – Chad's a much better meddler than I thought. Basically, Jess broke up with Dan because of how long he spent working on Melody Falls, so we told her that she could visit the set and see Dan whenever she wanted. Of course, because she still liked Dan, she accepted.

So, we saw a lot of Jess – and I do mean a lot. She began to be like Dan's assistant; giving him advice on the show and sometimes taking over his job completely. She became kinda controlling – not towards Dan, but towards _us_. The cast. It was annoying.

She convinced Dan that we needed extra rehearsals, and so we've been coming in a whole hour earlier – the self-obsessed (cough, Marta and _Sonny Munroe, _cough) were annoyed that they'd have less time in the morning to ready themselves, and the sleep-obsessed (cough, Ferguson, cough) were also pretty peeved. But Dan didn't notice, and Jess didn't care. She kept telling us it was for the good of the show – to keep us on top. She became kind of addicted to the show, to making us work. Ugh, I was surprised Dan had never broken up with her before for being so controlling.

And so the whole cast has blaming me for everything. But they haven't been blaming Chad – my cast don't know and aren't going to be told that Chad helped me ruin their jobs. If they did, they'd get revenge on Chad for getting Jess and Dan back together and causing their work hell, and they'd kill me for working with a Random. It was bad enough that I'd done something _nice _for a change. Ha, if only they knew…

"This is all your fault." Marta reminds me, as she admires herself in her little pocket mirror. She pulls a face as she notices the bags under her eyes, before touching up on make-up unde the eyes. I roll my eyes lightly.

"You've told me before." I whisper back.

"Well, it is." She stammers out weakly. I smirk victoriously. I obviously won that battle…

"Leave her alone will ya, Marta?" Chastity says, peering over to us, trying to keep an eye on Ms Bitterman at the same time. "She was only doing it to be nice."

"Not true." I lie, trying to protect my bad girl persona, "I did it because I thought if Daniel was upset, the show's ratings would go down, and then… you know."

"_So Random_ would be number _one_." Marta exhales, disgusted.

"Exactly." I say, with the same tone of repulsion. Chas rolls her eyes, before jumping out of her skin as Ms Bitterman raps her ruler on the desk in the front of the classroom to shut us up.

"Girls, pay attention, thank you." She says flatly, before turning back to the blackboard. Chastity blushes and hides behind her notebook, ashamed, and Marta just rolls her eyes and scribbles something on a piece of paper. She passes the paper to me and shoots me a death glare. When Bitterman isn't looking I open it up and read the overly-curly writing…

_You have to break them up, or I'll make things pretty bad for you._

Chad's POV

I arrive at Sonny's dressing room, a few minutes after she called me. She said it was urgent – she needed to talk to me. I'm worried – is it really serious? I hope she's okay…

I knock on the door quietly, hoping not to alert anyone else of my presence. A few seconds later, she opens the door and smiles.

"Chad." She sighs, like she's glad to see me, "Come on in."

"So, what's up?" I ask as she closes the door behind me.

"Um, well, you know how you were _awesome_ at helping me get Jess and Dan back together?"

I laugh at her butt-kissing tone. Jess and Dan… I remember that. It's kinda annoying that Sonny sees me as such a meddler that she'd ask me for help with meddling, but hey. At least I got to spend time with m'buddy. "Yeah…?" I say.

"Um, thing is… we need to break them up again."

Wait… did she just say what I thought she said? She only asked me to help get them _back together_ a few days ago, and now she wants them _broken up_ again?

"Dan and Jess?" I ask, just to make sure I heard her right. She nods. "The same Dan and Jess you wanted me to get back together only a few days ago?" I ask, just to be sure. She nods, cringing a little. I try not to roll my eyes at how ridiculous this all seems. "Why, exactly?" I ask.

"Because they are driving the whole cast insane." She shrugs, "Jess is obsessed with making the show the best it can be, so we've having extra rehearsals and stuff…" She exhales resignedly, "…we're exhausted!"

I can't help but roll my eyes. Sonny and her little herd of Dramas want two people broken up… because they are tired. Someone, call the relationship police… honestly, I may be a regular when it comes to meddling, but not even I would want to break up a couple I'd got back together only a few days ago.

I smile sweetly at Sonny, "Well, I have one piece of advice for you." She nods, facial expressions curious. I lean closer to her face, before the smile breaks into a smirk and I say, "Suck. It. Up."

Sonny pouts jokingly, "Harsh."

I ignore her. "I'm not breaking them up." I insist, "I won't do it. It's not fair to meddle in people's life."

Sonny shrugs. "Oh, so you finally get that…" She says. My heart sinks and I bite my lip. How could she say that…? Okay, so it may be true… but she's my friend! She shouldn't be saying stuff like that to me! She shouldn't be… hurting me like that! And it's not like she sounded sarcastic or anything – she was being sincere.

"Pardon?" I say to her. I feel my fists clench uncontrollably, and I try not to get overly mad because Sonny's my friend. Sonny suddenly looks very shy, uncertain… apologetic.

"Well…" She stutters out, her eyes averting from mine, "…you're always meddling in other people's business. It might be a bit annoying, sometimes…"

I groan, running a hand through my hair. Okay, I admit it – she's right. I meddle a lot. I should be ashamed for being such a hypocrite…

Wait… that isn't right… I'm not the one being a hypocrite! It's her! _She's_ the one who's meddling in Jess and Daniel's business; _she's_ the one who's begging me to help her do so; _she's_ the one pointing out my problems when she's got enough to fill the flippin' Pacific Ocean!

"Thanks for that, Sonny." I say flatly, turning to face her. She cringes at my tone and I fill a little pang in my chest. "It's nice to get an analysis from a hypocrite."

I regret my words as they spill out of mouth and Sonny's eyes widen, but I had to get it off my chest. Sonny has to understand that what she's doing – what I do – is wrong.

"A… hypocrite?" She stammers out, a wounded look in her eyes. Gosh, I feel like such a monster…

"Yeah," I murmur, not able to meet her eyes, "I'm not the one who suggested meddling in Jess and Dan's love life – I'm not the one who's pretty much messing up these two people. I mean… they only just made up. It seems cruel to just tear them apart again."

I dare to look up at Sonny – she looks fragile, before she blinks and scowls, "Well, genius, do you have another plan?"

I think about it, before coming up short. To be honest, breaking up the two is the only option to stop the extra rehearsals Sonny seems to be 'suffering'. Only, that isn't _really _an option. "No." I admit. "Just deal with it, okay? So you're working a couple of extra hours… so what?"

Sonny sighs, reluctant, tired. "Chad, you just don't understand."

"No." I say with a sad smile, "You're right, Sonny. I don't understand. Half of the time, I can't understand you at all."

Sonny gasps, before lower lip starts to quiver and her eyes fill with tears. I feel like crawling into a hole and dying. What has gotten into me? Why am I being so crummy? Is the pressure of Hollywood finally getting to me? Or maybe I just need a lie down…

I head to the door, wanting to get to my dressing room, get some shut-eye or something. I reach the door, open it, but I'm stopped from leaving by a warm, shaking pair of arms.

Sonny runs up, hugs me from behind, and whimpers quietly into the back of my shirt. I suddenly feel stupid, mean, and a _really_ bad friend.

"Please don't leave me." She whimpers. I realise how cruel I've been, how much my words must have been hurting her… gosh, I said she was a bad friend… look at me! Why am I being so awful…? I promised her I'd never leave her… and I never break a promise. And right now, she thinks I'm doing just that. She thinks I'm leaving her, like I _promised_ her I'd _never_ do.

"I'm not leaving you." I say, and she sighs in relief. "I just think you're doing the wrong thing, by breaking up two people, only days after you got them back together… and I know how two-faced that sounds, but please… don't do it."

"Chad, you really don't get it…" She says. She sounds so upset, and I immediately feel like hitting myself with a baseball bat. Have I really been that nasty to her that she's upset? "I _have_ to do this… you don't understand why…"

"So you and your sleeping habits are way more important than some person's feelings?" I say, a slightly kinder tone in my voice because I don't want to upset her anymore than I have. I sigh. _Shut up, Chad! Don't make her sadder! _"Just… think about it." I say, "Don't make the wrong decision here." Sonny frowns, and I try for a smile, "Please Sonny?"

"Fine." She sighs. I know she's not in the mood to continue our usual 'fight'.

I smile at her instead of fighting, leaving the room. The minute I'm out of Sonny's sight, I do a face-palm.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I'd forgotten for a split second how delicate Sonny could be, and how, as her friend, I was supposed to protect her. And yet I did the opposite thing and hurt her! It started as just a joke, but I took it way too far…

What's confusing me, though, is why she was so keen to break up Jess and Dan. She said "I _have_ to do this… you don't understand why…"

What does that mean? She has to do it? As in, someone's making her…?

_No, Chad, don't be ridiculous… surely that's not it…_

I just decide to go back to my dressing room, for a nap. Maybe that's all I need… I'll apologise to Sonny for being such a jerk later…

Sonny's POV

Chad rolls his eyes up to the ceiling, before looking back down at me like I'm stupid.

"Dan and Jess?" He asks. I nod. "The same Dan and Jess you wanted me to get back together only a few days ago?" I nod, slightly meeker this time. "Why, exactly?"

"Because they are driving the whole cast insane." I answer, "Jess is obsessed with making the show the best it can be, so we've been having extra rehearsals and stuff… we're exhausted!"

"Well, then, I have one piece of advice for you." Chad says, bringing his face slightly closer to mine with a sweet smile, before it breaks, "Suck. It. Up."

"Harsh." I say. Chad just groans.

"I'm not breaking them up." He says, "I won't do it. It's not fair to meddle in people's life."

"Oh, so you finally get that…" I mumble quietly. But it seems not quietly enough. Chad's eyes widen with shock, and he clenches his teeth. Oops.

"Pardon?" He snarls. I gulp.

"Well, you're always meddling in other people's business. It might be annoying sometimes…" I say, trying not to offend him.

Meh. Too late.

Chad runs a hand through his blonde hair in frustration, before glaring down at me. "Thanks for that, Sonny." He says sadly, "It's nice to get an analysis from a _hypocrite_."

"A… hypocrite?" I repeat, slightly taken aback.

"Yeah." He says, "I'm not the one who suggested meddling in Jess and Dan's love life – I'm not the one who's pretty much messing up these two people. I mean… they only just made up. It seems cruel to just tear them apart again."

"Well, genius, do you have another plan?" I ask. Chad sighs.

"No." He says, "Just deal with it, okay? So you're working a couple of extra hours… so what?"

I sigh, "Chad, you just don't understand…"

"No." Chad interrupts, "You're right, Sonny. I don't understand. Half of the time, I can't understand you at all."

Chad heads towards the door, a frown on his lips, and I panic. He's… walking out. Leaving me. A tiny seed of doubt tells me he's leaving me for good, and subconsciously, I run up and hug him from behind.

"Please don't leave me." I say. I sound small, weak, like I can't live without him. To be honest, I can't. I need Chad. He's changed me for the better, and I can't go back to who I was before. Chad takes a deep breath, not turning around.

"I'm not leaving you." He assures me, "I just think you're doing the wrong thing, by breaking up two people, only days after you got them back together… and I know how two-faced that sounds, but please… don't do it."

I want nothing but to do as Chad says. I kind of agree – breaking these two people up is stupid, cruel. And I don't know why I'm so scared of a threat on a piece of paper, from Marta Balatico. I guess I just want everything to stay as it is, and I don't want any changes. If Marta messes something up – spreads a rumour about me or something – things will change. And I don't think they'd change for the better. I mean, things are okay now – better since Chad and I became friends – but one little story can wreck a person in this town. I really don't want that to happen to me.

"Chad, you really don't get it." I say into his shirt, "I _have _to do this… you don't understand why…"

"So you and your sleeping habits are way more important than some person's feelings?" Chad says. He takes a deep, thoughtful breath, and adds, "Just… think about it. Don't make the wrong decision here. Please, Sonny?"

I sigh, "Fine."

Chad doesn't say anything else. He just smiles a little, nods, and walks out of the room.

* * *

><p>I arrive back at the set after a few hours of thinking, hoping some miracle had happened and either Dan and Jess have broken up themselves or Jess has gone home. I just really, <em>really <em>don't want to do this…

I'm such a coward. I'm _pathetic_. I'm not scared of Marta, so why am I doing what she says? Am I just being stupid, thinking that she can make me do something that I really don't want to do, or there will be consequences? Besides, she's not even the 'leader' of Melody Falls – I am. Well, sort of.

And besides, even if Marta did ruin my career with some big lie or something, I'd have friends (well, a friend) to help me get through it. Chad would stick with me, surely, if I told him the truth?

I suppose I'm just scared of what happened before, when I first became big in Hollywood. How Sonny Munroe was born – how Tawni ditched me and replaced me with the Randoms, Dad ditched me and replaced me with some random girl my age. Chad's been doing such a great job, helping me become less _Sonny Munroe _and more _Allie Munroe… _I don't want all the hard work to go to waste.

So basically, I have a choice. Break up Jess and Dan, break both their hearts, defy Chad, but still keep my reputation and my happiness; or make said people happy… but be made to look like something I'm not by Marta.

Looks like that choice has already been made for me.

"Sonny!"

An ear-splitting squeal grabs my attention, and I turn to see Marta tottering over with a smile plastered on her plastic face.

"I did it!" She squeals successfully, "I broke them up!"

"W-what?" I say, trying to hide my anger and slightly confusion, "How? Why?"

She shrugs, as if breaking someone's heart is something she does often.

…Well, it probably is.

"I just made it look like Jess was cheating on him – he dumped her straight away. I knew you'd be too chicken to do it, so I did it for you."

My fists clench together, and I almost feel like punching the girl. She… broke them up… and called me chicken? The Sonny Munroe inside me fumes up, tries to break free, and I have to drag myself out of there just before I tear the girl's face off. What freakin' _right _did she have to do that? I could so murder that girl right now…

In the midst of my fury, I run into someone on the way to my dressing room.

"Whoa, Sonny, are you okay?"

I look up to see the sparkling, smiling blue eyes that could only be from the face of one boy…

"Chad." I breathe, tucking a strand of hair shyly behind my ear. Last time we talked, I broke down in his arms. I was like the clingy girlfriend, begging the boy not to break up with her… even though we're not girlfriend and boyfriend.

We're friends. Uh-huh.

"Sonny?" He asks again, blue eyes worried, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine… I think." I say, "It's just… you'll never believe what Marta just did."

Chad frowns. "What, exactly? Do I have to beat her up?"

I laugh. "As much as I'd love you to, Chaddy, I don't want you to get fired."

"Good point." Chad shrugs, "So, what did she do?"

"She broke up Jess and Dan…" I say, "…and then said I was too chicken to do it myself."

Chad scowls, "I honestly _could _beat her up right now…"

"Well…" I shrug, before chuckling timidly, "At least I wasn't the one to break them up."

"True." Chad shrugs, "How exactly did Marta break them up?"

"She convinced Dan that Jess was cheating on her." I say. Chad sighs.

"Well, then, maybe someone should go tell him that isn't really what happened."

"I will." I volunteer, "This whole thing's all my fault anyway."

"Sure you don't want me to come to?" He asks. My sweet friend Chad. Always wants to help. "It's kinda my fault too."

"No, it's fine." I say, "You go back to Chuckle City."

Chad smirks, "You got it, _Your Diva-ness._" He bows in a 19th century fashion, and I laugh.

"Go on, you little weirdo."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

Somehow I've found myself beaming like an idiot, "Good."

Chad winks, before heading off in the direction of So Random. I watch him with a smile before remembering my mission. I turn on my heels and make my way to the set, where Dan is sitting, directing a scene that I'm not in.

I tap him softly on the shoulder, whispering, "I need to talk to you." in his ear. He turns to face me, confused, before calling cut.

"Everyone take five, guys!" He calls out. I can see his eyes – tired, weary, kind of upset. He turns around, putting on a smile that is obviously fake (I've done it enough times to know). "Everything okay, Miss Munroe?" He asks.

"I… no." I say, "It's not. Dan, I'm sorry about what happened with Jess."

"It's okay." He shrugs, smiling sadly. He looks slightly broken inside, "It wasn't your fault."

"It… kind of was." I say, "Um, see, when I found out about your break-up with her, I kinda… conspired with…" I don't dare to tell him Chad helped me, "… a friend to get you back together because I was worried the show's ratings would go down if you weren't on your top form. And then, a cast mategot bored of the extra rehearsals Jess has been making us do, and she lied about Jess cheating on you. Jess wasn't really cheating on you… I'm really sorry for putting you through this."

Dan smiles and shrugs, "It's fine, Sonny. You were just doing what you thought was best for the show."

"So…" I say hopefully, "Are you gonna try and get back together with Jess?"

He shakes his head, "It was your meddling that got us back together in the first place, it wasn't our own decision. Maybe Jess and I weren't meant to be."

I frown. All that work, for nothing. But, I suppose, it's Dan and Jess's lives – it's their decisions.

"So, you're okay about the break-up?"

He shrugs, "I'm fine. I suppose it's just the fact that I got settled with Jess, took her for granted, and then everything slid out of shape."

"Trust me." I smirk, remembering my life as Allie Munroe, "I know how that feels."

"Well," He sighs, "I learnt my lesson – you don't know what you have till you lose it. Appreciate what you have, because when it's gone, it's gone. And it might not come back."

My heart freezes. _When it's gone, it's gone, and it might never come back_… that reminds me so much of Chad…

"Can I just go for a quick break, Dan?" I ask, and he smiles, "I just need to go say hi to a friend."

"Go ahead." He says. I thank him, before running over to So Random.

* * *

><p>I knock on Chad's door carefully, looking around to avoid any contact from unwanted Randoms, before Chad opens the door. He smiles, confused, when he sees me.<p>

"Sonny, what are you…?"

I find myself collapsing into Chad's arms before he can finish. I feel so weak, so ridiculous, but I can't help it. Dan is right – if I lose Chad, he's gone. I need to treasure Chad, my friend – my best friend – and pray that he doesn't leave me.

Chad, sweet, caring Chad – he doesn't ask a question. He closes the door behind me, leads me over to the couch, and hugs me tight.

"I'm sorry, so sorry Chad…" I say into his shirt, and he chuckles.

"I'm sorry too, Sonny." He says, "For being a jerk earlier."

"You weren't a jerk…" I laugh, but he doesn't reply. We just sit, for a few minutes, in each other's arms.

I feel safe. Safe in Chad Dylan Cooper's arms.

Safe in the arms of the best friend I've ever had.

* * *

><p><strong>So... that was that! A lot of random Channy and a life lesson! Oh, and I see I'm now another story in which Marta is one of the antagonists. Lol. Not many people like her, I see...<strong>

**Anyways, I hope y'all liked it! Especially you, k.98'PeaceOutSuckas. I changed a few things around but this was mainly based around your idea, so thanks! :D**

**I'm excited for next chapter now! Battle Of The Networks Stars... It's gonna be a lot of fun, and we'll have two hot dudes in the building... oh yeeeeeeah ;D Excitement. **

**Anyways... review? Pretty Please? I treasure every one of your reviews - so please please be one of the people to send one of those treasured reviews. **

**Love you all.**

**~Amy x**


	18. Authors Note

**Hello, readers. Firstly, I apologise. This is not an update. I'm working on it, trust me. But this is important. And those of you who read BeingHannah923's Don't I Know You? will probably have an idea of what this is about…**

**First of all, I'd like to start by addressing all of you. Yes. You. All of you. I have to say this – you are the most amazing, beautiful, cool, awesome, PERFECT bunch of people I've ever had the chance to "meet". I'm coming up to my FanFiction anniversary (or as my dad called it this morning – my Fan-iversary ;)), and I can honestly say this has been one of the best years of my life, thanks to you guys. **

**I have over 90 author favourites, over 60 author alerts – and it's all thanks to you, you beautiful, kind, _golden_ people! In this story, LWMS, NSLFF… all you lovely reviewers, people who favourite and subscribe to my stories, you brighten my life. And I know that sounds sad, but it's true ;D You guys are amazing. Especially reviewers – every reviewer makes my heart flip and my cheeks turn red, before I smile like a lunatic ;D**

**Which bring me on to my main point… I have some amazing reviewers. One of them – k.98'PeaceOutSuckas. She is fantastic, and I soooo hope she's reading this right now. If you are, my dear, please read on. **

**I read DIKY just now and cried. I mean it. I still am. That impersonator was awful – and if you have not yet read DIKY or don't read it anyway, you probably won't understand what I mean by that. But, now, I wish to speak to Arygri. **

**My dear… I read DIKY, I read your review, I read it all. **

**And it pained me to hear. The whole thing PAINED me. I was SO ANNOYED that a human being could do that to another human being. Arygri, please. Be strong. I know I cannot turn back time, or stop that person from saying those things. **

**I also know I cannot stop you from leaving me, leaving Hannah, leaving everyone else who you make smile with your reviews. I know I cannot do that. **

**But what I can do is thank you. Thank you for being one of the most amazing reviewers – friends – I've ever had. Your words would make you smile – I'd buzz every time I got a review from you, and then laugh, then cry, then smile, then grin like an idiot.**

**Your stories were amazing. I apologise I didn't read all of Anonymous Stories (which - I've checked - was not against the rules) but I've been busy – homework, school, home stuff, all while trying to update stories so I could read more amazing reviews – particularly from you. **

**Arygri, you are an amazing friend – best friend.**

**Wait.**

**Scratch that.**

**You are _family. _You are part of this family. You make me laugh with your awesome reviews, you make me smile. You make many other people smile too. I understand how much this whole thing must've hurt for you, but Arygri. You are part of this FanFiction family, no matter whether you have an account or not. **

**I'm so mad at that person who upset you, and now I beg you – please stay.**

**And if you don't feel like you can… I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're leaving for good. I will truly miss you – you got me to 500 reviews on LWMS, you helped me with ideas on QTO, you made me smile... you helped light up my life, my dear.**

**I understand how much that thing hurt you, but if you decide to stay, I will be here for you if someone every hurts you again. Just call on me, and I'll be there. And so will Hannah, and everyone else.**

**That's what family does.**

**And now, I just have one last thing to say…**

**I love you so much, as does everyone else who you've ever made smile. I pray that you will stay. If you don't I pray that I can still make you smile with my writing, and if not…**

**Goodbye. I miss miss you dearly, sister. But please…**

**Don't let this be goodbye.**

**Everyone else, I apologise. That chapter is in production, and will be here soon…**

**I love you all so much. **

**~Amy x**


	19. Battle Of The Studio Hotties, Part I

**Hey, y'all! I'm back! Sorry it took so long, but with the drama from last chapter, and my first GCSE English exam, I've been soooo busy! (I got A* in that, before you ask. Lol :P) But I'm back now, and ready to roll! (Ignore cheesy metaphor) **

**This chapter is dedicated to k.98'PeaceOutSuckas. Or, as I now can spell, Argyri. Sorry for mis-spelling it! I don't know where I got that spelling from... I felt a right numpty :P Might just call you Argie, like Hannah does, if you let me... anyways, dear, I'm thrilled that your back! And believe me, of course I forgive you, as long as you understand that nothing that happened was your fault. It was HER fault... but don't worry! Let's forget about it - I know we can't forget about it completely - but let's not let it ruin our lives. Coz we're a great family who will never be broken up! Yus! And, of course, this chapter is dedicated to you for being a down-right awesome sister! :D ****Also, you said this was AS GOOD AS THE REAL SHOW! THIS STORY! THIS ONE! That blew me away! :D Love you, sis!**

**Also, thanks to you ALL for all your reviews/favourites/alerts... seriously, I wouldn't be here, on FanFiction, if it weren't for you guys!**

**And, as a reward, you guys get to see STERLING KNIGHT GUEST STAR! (fan girl scream) And I know, Chad is Sterling and blah blah blah... but hey, I just thought Sterling plus Chad equeals AWESOMENESS! So there you go, SK fans :D I know I am one of them :P**

**Okay... so, after all this editing and stuff, my STUPID Internet messed up. Sooo... gotta do it all again. Apologies for any mistakes... let's go!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18 - Battle Of The Studio Hotties, Part I<strong>

Chad's POV

A new week at Condor Studios starts, and something very odd is going on. There are so many people, walking around… I heard a rumour that a movie's gonna be filmed here! Exciting…

Gosh, though, _everywhere _is flooded with people! Right now, I'm in the cafeteria, just wanting a stinkin' drink, and I've been waiting in the queue for 20 minutes! This place never has a queue – not like this anyway. This movie must be huge, if it needs this many people…

After I've _finally _got my drink (soda… when I asked for a water cup. Mistake. Oops. My bad) I look around for my friends, who are sat eating lunch, waiting for me. I see them in the corner (not our usual table, but oh well) and take a seat.

"Guys, I have a confession…" I say, "I asked for a water cup and then accidentally filled it with soda… and wait a sec!"

I jump up from my seat with my water-soda cup in my shaking hand. I scan my "friends" – Tawni has brown eyes rather than her usual blue, Grady has a darker shade of blonde hair, Nico looks slightly more muscled, Zora looks three years younger…

These aren't my friends.

Crap.

"You're not Tawni, Grady, Nico or Zora!" I say, smiling awkwardly as the four of them nod and turn to each other, pulling confused faces. "I was just kidding about the water, by the way!" I assure them jokingly, before leaving the table, a slightly darker shade on my cheeks than before. I scan the cafeteria, before spotting my friends at a different table and sighing in relief.

"Guys, the weirdest thing just happened to me… and it's happening _again_!"

My friends of course aren't there – rather some people who look kind-of like them. I start to feel confused, dizzy, before reaching for my head and hitting it hard to make sure I'm not in that dream where Randoms from different dimensions show up and then I somehow end up on the stage of So Random wearing nothing but a hat.

Scary.

Luckily, I'm hat-less, but still confused. And now I have a headache. What the heck is going on…?

"There he is!"

A voice wakes me from my uncertainty, and Nico, along with the others, walks up to me, the same looks of bewilderment on their faces as they examine the room, stupefied.

"Are we in your dumb hat dream?" Nico asks, bemused, and I have to blink to make sure he's the _real _Nico.

"I honestly have no idea…" I say. Suddenly, a waft of perfume fills the air, and I feel light-headed. Whether it's from said perfume or the confusion, I don't know. But what I do know is – I recognise that perfume.

"Sonny." I say, twirling around to face the doorway to the cafeteria to face my friend. Right now, she's in Superstar Sonny mode – wearing translucent turquoise tights, a short denim skirt and a skinny T-shirt with a little baby-blue cardigan. She's also wearing a little blue beret, which matches her cardigan. It brings out the color in her eyes nicely.

And I only notice that coz she's my friend.

Yup.

She's smirking, leaning against the door-frame, and that reminds me we're in character right now – as the two actors who can't stand the sight of each other. I pull a face as she wanders across the cafeteria, wafting her hand so that we move out of her way and using a megaphone to project her smooth voice across the room, even though everyone could hear her clearly if she didn't use it.

"Group 1," She says, "Get ready, you'll be called up in five."

"Sonny, what is all this?" I ask. Curious, because it's obvious that Sonny is part of this – all these people who look like my cast. Now that I think about it, there's a group of boys in the corner of the room with blonde hair and blue eyes… creepy… "I should've known this was your doing."

Sonny twirls around, puts an arm on my shoulder and shoots me a megawatt grin. "Aw, Chad, I'm just doing a little casting for my new TV movie."

Movie? She didn't tell me about a movie…

"What about?" I ask, and she chuckles as if it's obvious.

"Me!" She says, "Sonny Munroe: The Sonny Munroe Story! Written, directed, produced…" She takes a dramatic pause, before flicking her hair back and smiling at a non-existant camera, "…by Sonny Munroe!" It takes all my effort to not laugh – the Sonny Munroe bigheaded diva isn't real – she's an act – and I'm the only one who knows that beside her mother and step-father. That's what makes it funny – Sonny says she's the "greatest actress of this generation"… when, to put on the performance that is _Sonny Munroe_… she's gotta be telling the truth.

But of course, I have to keep up the act of "naïve So Random boy who can't stand divas like Sonny Munroe", or the whole thing will fall apart. The secrets that we're keeping from our casts will become less and less secret, private, and people will start sussing things out, before the whole friendship is revealed and everything comes tumbling down. I know it sounds dramatic – but it's true. Sonny and I can't be friends – at least, we can't show people we're friends – that's just how it goes. This is what that rivalry can do. Which is why I pray it will be over someday soon.

I shove Sonny off my shoulder like she's a clingy ex-girlfriend, and she smirks and shakes her head, tutting.

"At the moment I'm casting for the losers from So Random." She says, before smiling at me, sincerely (but so that no-one can see), "No offence."

"None taken." I say, pulling a face and winking, with my back to my cast. She smirks, stifling a laugh.

"Wait a second…" Tawni says, "You're hiring people to play us?"

"When you've got the actual losers right here?" Nico adds. I bite my lip and hold in a laugh as Tawni shoots him a death glare.

"We're _not _losers." She says, just as Grady snatches the megaphone from a rather entertained Sonny, imitating Darth Vader from Star Wars. Tawni nicks it back before more people stare, not wanting to be made a fool of. Ha. My friends – the best "losers" ever.

I then realise I should go along with their begging to be in the movie – it would be pretty cool to star in a movie with all my friends, anyway.

"Yeah, Sonny, we should play us." I say, before adding with a playful smile, "Please?"

Sonny sticks her tongue out, before putting it back in and pretending it wasn't there. She blushes a little, hoping the other Randoms didn't see it, before she shakes her head.

"Fine!" She sighs, "You're all hired!"

A little group of cheers spreads across the cast, as Nico and Grady high-five each other, and Tawni claps. Even Zora, who's been quiet the whole conversation, seems happy. And that means I'm happy. My first Hollywood movie… with my amazing cast and my brilliant best Hollywood friend.

"Except Chad."

Those two words then bring it all to a screeching halt.

"Wait… what?"

"You have to audition." Sonny says, taking her megaphone back from Tawni and leaving the cafeteria. I follow her, confused. Doesn't she want me – her bestest friend – to be in this movie with her?

"Why do I have to audition?" I ask her, keeping up the aggravated act as we pass a group of kids from a different show, and Sonny sighs.

"Sorry, I just thought it would be a good time for us to hang out during your audition. It'll be easy – we can just chat, alone, for a few minutes, and you'll get out of the room with the part of Chad Dylan Cooper… you won't have to do a thing!"

My frown fades and is replaced with a grin, "Nice idea, Munroe!" I say, and she smirks.

"Don't inflate the ego, please." She says.

"Oh, right, okay." I say with an innocent smile, "Sorry."

She giggles, "Okay, well I'll see you at your "audition" three o'clock this afternoon. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." I confirm, before hugging her lightly. She gasps quietly and pulls away from the hug.

"Public." She mumbles.

"Oh right." I say, "I'd best be gone."

I salute mockingly, before heading back to the cafeteria. Tawni notices me and puts an arm on my shoulder, and I try to not shrug it off and seem rude.

"Everything okay, Chad?" She asks me, "Did Sonny give you the part?"

"She said I have to audition." I say, rolling her eyes, "She's probably just desperate to spend time with me."

As the words escape from my mouth, I wish they'd stayed inside. I've only just realised how bigheaded and weird that sounded, and the second I do, I escape from the room before the Randoms can ask any questions.

Well… that was awkward.

Especially because the words I said a little too close to the truth.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, I walk into the set of Melody Falls, and lean up against Sonny's dressing room door, waiting for my "audition". A few minutes after I arrived, Chastity and Marta, two Dramas, walk out of the room. Chastity smiles kindly when she sees me, while Marta just pulls a face.<p>

"Get out of here, Random." She mumbles.

Chastity rolls her eyes along with me, "He's here for his audition, remember?" She says, before turning to face me with a sweet smile (odd for a Drama girl), "Sonny told us all about it. And she said we could help judge your performance."

"Sh-she did?" I manage to say, before gulping. Crap.

Great. There goes Sonny's plan for us to hang out. Oh well, this could still be fun… oh, who am I kidding? With those two in there, me and Sonny still have to keep up our stupid act, and with Marta in there, judging my every move, I'm gonna be dead. I swear, if looks could kill… some of the ones she's shot at me before would've meant I was gone ages ago.

"Come on it, then!" Chastity says, ushering me in. I watch my back to make sure Marta doesn't do something _evil_, before standing in front of Sonny. She's sat in a directors chair, head resting on her hand, eyeballing the ceiling, looking like she could be anywhere but here. For a second, while Chastity and Marta aren't looking, she shoots me an "I'm sorry" look, and I return a smile. She smiles weakly, before Chastity and Marta take a seat next to her and she returns to her bored look. She lifts her megaphone.

"State your name and the part you're reading for." She says. I put on my own act – one that finds this whole thing stupid and pointless.

"Chad Dylan Cooper…" I say flatly, "…reading for the part of Chad Dylan Cooper."

Sonny bites her lips as Marta rolls her eyes, "There's that attitude you were talking about."

"Attitude?" I can't help but be a little shocked. Surely… surely this is all just a mix-up? Yeah… Sonny's my pal. It's probably her diva side that said that, and that was all to protect her reputation.

"Okay, take it from page 5…" She says, nonchalantly flicking through her script as she ignores my outburst. I hang my head and flick through my own script, finding said page. Sonny begins the lines, and I have to find my place.

"Hi there." She says sweetly, "You must be Chad. I'm Sonny."

"Oh my gosh…" I read the lines, "You're Sonny Munroe! Possibly the greatest and most beautiful actress of her generation… wait, what?"

Wow… well, it's obvious _who_ wrote this script…

Sonny Munroe, the greatest and most beautiful, blah, blah, blah. If I wasn't so annoyed by Chastity and Marta and partially Sonny right now, I'd be laughing at how ridiculous this all is. And Sonny would be too. We'd be rolling around laughing at how hilarious this script is and how stupid her annoying bigheaded persona is and wishing she didn't have to hide like that.

If only.

"Chad, just read the lines." Sonny says, "I'm giving you a chance here."

I roll my eyes. As much as I understand Sonny is just being a character here, it's getting to me. Hiding a friendship is complicated…

Just at that moment, there's a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Marta asks, her voice flirty. I gag.

"It's Sterling." The voice replied, "I got your text." I shake my head, unsure if I just heard right. Sterling…? As in… _him_?

"Come on in!" Marta coos, and I'm sure I hear the guy outside groan before he opens the door and walks in, smiling.

"Oh. My. Gosh." I hear myself stammer out. My brain pretty much malfunctions. Stood in front of me is one of my biggest inspirations, like, in the world.

"Dude, you're Sterling Knight!"

Sterling Knight smiles, shrugging, "That I am!" He says.

The fan inside me breaks out and pretty much dives at Sterling. Wow. Embarrassing. "Can I have your autograph?" I ask, "You can sign… this script! Give it a value."

Sonny rolls her eyes and Marta leaves her chair and wanders up, putting an arm around Sterling. He shuffles a little, uncomfortably. Okay, this is weird.

"Hi, Sterling." She says seductively, making him shudder.

"Hi, Marta…" He says, "It's been a while."

"That it has…" Marta grins. I think I might puke. "I was surprised when you answered my text. Well, sort of."

"I only answered because you mentioned Sonny." He says. Part of me feels suddenly protective. The best friend part, of course.

Sonny walks up to Sterling and smiles. I almost feel jealous. I would be jealous, that is, if I wasn't her friend.

But I am.

So I'm not.

"Hey, buddy." Sterling says. I sigh in relief. They're just friends… "Marta said you needed someone to play this 'Chad Dylan Cooper' kid. I'll do it."

As Sterling's words sink in, I realise what Marta's text was about. And I don't like it.

It's annoying… I'm jealous of one of my biggest idols.

He's gonna play _me_ in a film about _my_ best friend.

Not that I'm getting possessive about it.

"Personally, I think the character is a little dull…" Sterling continues. This really hits home, "…but I'll lighten him up." He then turns to me and flashes his white charming grin. "And you are?"

I can't help sounding rude. I mean, wouldn't you be a little annoyed if a role in a movie (that was _yourself_) and potential time with your fragile best friend was snatched away from you by your biggest idol?

I know I am.

With all the bravado I can muster, I reply to Sterling, "The dull kid you need to lighten up."

The air is pretty awkward after that.

"…Oops."

Sonny's POV

"Why do I have to audition?"

Chad is following me, still putting on the act just in case anyone passes. I do the same; admiring my nails and rolling my eyes at his every word. After we've passed the Meal Or No Meal girls, I give him his answer.

"Sorry," I begin, sensing his confusion, "I just thought it would be a good time for us to hang out, it'll be easy – we can just chat, alone, for a few minutes, and you'll get out of the room with the part of Chad Dylan Cooper… you won't have to do a thing!"

Chad grins slightly, obviously noticing the genius of my plan… wait. That sounds too much like Sonny Munroe. Pretend I didn't say that. "Nice idea, Munroe!" He compliments, and I smile. Although I love hearing him complimenting me, and I love making Chad happy even more, this is exactly the thing I was trying to avoid.

"Don't inflate the ego, please." I say, and he smirks, before smiling innocently.

"Oh, right, okay." He says, before looking at me with those bright blue eyes, "Sorry."

I wish to slap myself for giggling the way I do after that. I sound crazy. I regain my cool posture and say, "Okay, well I'll you at your "audition"…" I use air-quotes, "…three o'clock this afternoon. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." Chad confirms, before taking me into a quick hug. I gasp – I wasn't ready for that. I pull away as quick as I can, leaving Chad to look confused.

"Public." I excuse myself weakly.

"Oh right." Chad says, nodding understandingly. Phew… "I'd best be gone."

He salutes, making me giggle again, before turning and heading back to the cafeteria, where his Randoms await. I watch him with a smile, and then head to my dressing room. I open the door, confused that the lights are already on, before jumping at the two figures sat in chairs in the middle of the room. Crap. Kidnappers. Murderers, maybe? And then, when I double-take…

I see the two figures are Chastity and Marta.

Well… one of them would like to murder me, I know that much.

And if you can't guess which, it's damn obvious.

"Who were talkin' to, Son?" Marta asks, looking like a bad guy in those spy films. It's astounding she's not stroking a hairless cat whilst looking at me through a monocle. I'm waiting to hear her evil laugh.

"Just a friend." I shrug, fighting the urge to yell at them both to get the hell outta my dressing room. They've just invited themselves in.

"A _boy_friend?" Marta persists, "This person sounded male…"

I feel like kicking her. "He was a boy, but no, not my boyfriend…"

"Do we know him?" Marta asks, batting her eyelashes romantically. Ugh. Someone. Hit her with a hammer. Please.

"Why do you care, Marta?" I ask, mimicking her tone. "It's my business, is it not? Or were you gonna try and interfere? Something tells me that wouldn't go too well… if I did have a boyfriend you'd steal him from me." She rolls her eyes and slumps down in her seat, crossing her arms like a stubborn little kid. Chas studies her, just like she can't believe someone could be so ridiculous, before smiling at me.

"Ready for the auditions?"

I blink, "Auditions?"

"For your stupid movie." Marta replies. She's obviously not paying attention anyway – already she's moved on from bugging me to filing her nails. "The producer told us to help coz we've got nothing better to do." She then kicks the back of the chair, "Honestly, I hate this stupid studio."

Chas scans her studiously, "You realise if you didn't have this _stupid studio _you'd have no job?"

"Doubt that." Marta snorts.

"Anyway…" Chas backtracks, "Have you got group one of the Randoms?"

"Um, I actually have already cast all of them." I say, "Well, all but one part. Chad Dylan Cooper. The guys who are gonna audition for him will be coming in a few hours, so I suppose you guys won't want to hang around until then…"

This makes me smile inside. When I realised Chas and Marta were gonna "help" me cast, I also realised that meant they'd be around when Chad "auditioned". Which meant we couldn't spend time together, just hanging out, like I'd hoped. We're gonna have to keep up the act, once more.

But now… maybe, if they know the guys auditioning won't be here for ages… I mean, Marta has the attention span of a goldfish, so she'll want to make this as quick as possible.

If only Chas was that fish-like.

"We can wait." She smiles over-enthusiastically, "Like Marta said – we have nothing else to do."

I groan internally as the two settle into their seats and begin talking, their time-waster until Chad arrives.

Great. Fan_tastic._

* * *

><p>The hours go <em>painfully <em>slowly, as Marta talks on and on and _on _about boys (repetitively mentioning this mystery boy I'd been talking to earlier) and make-up and all that _crap_. Of course, being Sonny Munroe, and being with these guys who would wreck my rep if they could (I know Marta would), I have to act like I actually _care _about all that stuff.

Three o'clock arrives, and footsteps sound outside the door. Pacing. Maybe it's Chad.

Before I can reach the door, Marta and Chas are already up, on their way to investigate this auditionee. They open the door, and after a little talking, they invite Chad in. He looks nervous, confused, and just down-right annoyed.

I know how he feels.

I continue my bored-diva act, keeping a close eye on Chas and Marta. For a minute, they talk, not facing my direction. This is when I shoot Chad a sorry look. He smiles at me, as if he's saying it's fine, and that puts me at rest. I just hope he knows I mean that I'm sorry for _everything _that's about to happen… something tells me this audition will be eventful.

Marta and Chas sit back next to me, one on each side, and I lift my megaphone to my mouth.

"State your name and the part you're reading for." I say.

Chad rolls his eyes. The look on his face is totally flat, peeved and he seems to want to get this thing over with. And something tells me it's an act.

Well, I feel the same. But it's not an act.

"Chad Dylan Cooper, reading for the part of Chad Dylan Cooper."

Marta groans, "There's that attitude you were talking about."

"Attitude?" Chad says, his voice level rising slightly.

I blink… attitude? When did I say about an attitude…? Chad doesn't have an attitude… I never said that… or is Marta just trying to wreck Chad's spirits? That… that… I swear, how much I would love to whack her in the face right now… if only I didn't have to keep up this _stupid_ act… I'd jump at it.

But, of course, I do,

"Okay, take it from page 5…" I say, trying to act like I don't want to defend my best friend right now and rip of Marta's face. I flick to the random page – surprise, surprise, it's the part where we meet. And Chad, in a sense drools over me.

Joy.

"Hi there." I say sweetly, "You must be Chad. I'm Sonny."

"Oh my gosh…" Chad said, reading the lines. Okay, so I made Chad seem like he was obsessed with me in this part, but what was I supposed to do? Have him say, "Yeah, I know! Hey, we should be best buds!"? Not a bright idea. That's why I'm doing this stupid movie – to keep myself, and my private life, safe from the public.

"You're Sonny Munroe!" Chad is saying, "Possibly the greatest and most beautiful actress of her generation… wait, what?"

He does a double-take at the script, before looking up at me, irritated. Gosh, I know how he feels. You don't know how much I'd love to just go up to him and hug him, tell him he's my best friend and give him the part.

Of course, I have to do it _this_ way.

"Chad, just read the lines." I say, "I'm giving you a chance here."

Chad rolls his eyes. He looks so annoyed, aggravated, like he could be anywhere but here.

I know how he feels. Marta the Barbie Doll is next to me, rolling her eyes at Chad's confused glare whilst taping at her phone. Chastity is just sat, watching, wide-eyed. God **(A/N: Sorry for the blaspheming)**. It's not that entertaining. I sink down into my chair, uncomfortably, just wishing I could be alone, with Chad, just for a minute or two.

Is that really too much to ask?

A knock on the door wakes me from my thoughts.

"Who is it?" Marta asks. Ugh. Cue throw-up – if that is a dude out there, he's probably run at the sound of her trying-to-be-flirty voice. Really, it sounds like nails being scraped against a blackboard.

"It's Sterling." A familiar voice says. Sterling? What's he doing here? "I got your text." He finishes. Wait… who texted him?

"Come on in!" Marta sings, making me gag again. And ouch. My ears hurt. Sterling opens the door and walks in, styling that killer smile that girls fall at his feet for. Including Marta, who looks like she could start drooling on him any minute. Oh, yeah, she's so cool, right?

"Oh. My. Gosh." I hear Chad say softly. I remember he told me he was a huge fan of Sterling Knight – and still is. He's a big inspiration of Chad's. I kind of envy him – I never really looked up to anyone – mainly coz I had no-one worthy to look up to. I can only imagine how he feels right now, meeting Sterling.

"Can I have your autograph?" Chad asks a smiling Sterling – he loves his fans. Chad looks around hastily for something to hand Sterling for the autograph, before looking down at the mess of a script in his hands. "You can sign… this script!" He eyeballs me, "Give it a value."

I have to bite my lip to stop a laugh escaping my mouth, and I roll my eyes rudely, making sure everyone sees. Sterling takes the script from Chad and looks around for a pen, but he doesn't get a chance to find one. Marta, the girl who is _obsessed _with her ex's (yup – you guessed it), puts her arm around Sterling. He shuffles around awkwardly on his feet, his eyes darting around for an escape. Unfortunately, he doesn't find one.

"Hi Sterling." She coos, winking a little. Okay, that time I'm sure I tasted vomit.

"Hi, Marta…" Sterling replies, shooting me a quick, yet obvious, look that begs for my help. I look around for something to beat Marta with, so she gets the hell away from my friend, but sadly, that idea becomes a dud one when I realise I could get fired. I'm not taking that chance. I'll think of something else…

"It's been a while." He says uneasily as I process other dud plans in my brain. Pretend to be his girlfriend? No. Marta wouldn't let that stop her. Grab him and tuck-and-roll out of the room? Na, would leave too many questions. Fake passport? Nope, too difficult…

"That it has…" Marta says, fiddling with the collar of his shirt, giggling. Ugh. "I was surprised when you answered my text. Well, sort of."

Chad smirks, rolling his eyes, before looking at me and pulling a face. I stifle a laugh.

"I only answered coz you mentioned Sonny." Sterling says, pulling away from her. I smile at my friend, glad that after all this time he hasn't forgotten me. What's it been – four years? I surely haven't seen him face-to-face since Melody Falls won its first award…

"Hey buddy." He says to me. I hear a sigh of relief, but daren't see who from. "Marta said you needed someone to play this 'Chad Dylan Cooper' kid. I'll do it."

I smile and nod, before realising what I've agreed to.

Sterling is gonna play Chad. Awkward…

I glance over to Chad. His fists are balled and he seems more annoyed than before.

Whoopsies.

"Personally, I think the character is a little dull, but I'll lighten him up." Sterling continues. This really gets Chad annoyed. He looks like he could bark out at any minute, but he's holding it in. Well, I don't blame him. His biggest idol just stole a part that I'd pretty much all ready handed to him.

Well… that's showbiz. I guess.

Throughout all this, Sterling is still flashing his brilliant smile. He turns to Chad like he's only just remembered he's there and says politely, "And you are?"

Chad bites his lip, before glaring at Sterling. "The dull kid you need to lighten up."

Everything suddenly gets very awkward, and Sterling gasps.

"…Oops." He says.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, and I'm exhausted of casting. It's just so boring… honestly, if I'd had that proper time with Chad, I wouldn't be this tired. I'd have probably gone home with him before the Chad Dylan Cooper auditions had ended.<p>

That would've meant _no _stupid, boring auditions for a stupid, boring TV movie that I'm only doing to assure people that everything's perfect for Sonny Munroe. There was a story in Tween Weekly the other week saying I was depressed. I didn't want any more stories like that – and I certainly didn't want to scare anyone. My fans, friends, family… Chad especially.

I make my way to Chad's dressing room – bored of my own – and I'm a little shocked to hear a piano playing as I wander through the So Random hallway. Huh. Chad's still here.

A smile creeps up on my lips. Perfect.

My stomach suddenly sinks as I remember earlier, how rude I was to him and stuff. I feel bad for him not getting the part of _himself, _honestly. Even though it wasn't me who invited Sterling… it was _stupid _Marta. Ugh. I hate her. And Chas. Why do mine and Chad's cast members have to ruin everything?

Shyly, I knock on the door. Chad mumbles a "come in" and I open the door slowly. It creaks a little, which adds more clumsiness to the situation. I see Chad sat on the piano stool in the corner of his room, letting his fingers crawl along the piano lazily. I wander over to where he's sat and slump next to him resting my head in the space between his neck and shoulder. After a few seconds, he stops pressing the keys and lifts a hand up, stroking the back of my head. I feel like I could fall asleep, with the combination of my fatigue and his warm hand running down my neck.

"Hi." He mumbles after a few minutes.

"Hey." I say, "I just wanted to apologise, after earlier…"

Chad sighs, "It's fine. It's not like you could defend me, and Sterling will make a pretty good me anyway."

"I'm sure he will." I say with a smile, before looking up at him. He looks back down at me. "But then, no-one can beat the original himself."

Chad snorts, "Thanks." He hums a little – a Far East Movement song – before randomly playing a couple of chords on the piano. I join in, and it isn't long before our 'jam session' is in full swing. Half an hour later, he's got his guitar out, and is rocking out and banging his head around, flipping his not-long-enough hair. I giggle, watching him, applauding like an idiot and playing random tunes, and the thing to shut us up is literally the cleaner coming in and saying "Shut up". This is the moment when we realise. It's gone 10pm.

Oops.

I wave a goodbye to Chad as he zips down the hallway to get home before his mom kills him – his curfew is 10. Then, myself, I wander to my own car, my thoughts spinning around in my head. I get in the car, stick in the keys and drive home, humming the same Far East Movement song from earlier the whole way.

* * *

><p><strong>Haha, yup! So there's the first half... hope it was Channy -filled enough! Next chap will have more Channy, and a lot more Sterling, so... can't wait, huh? ;)<strong>

**I hope you guys enjoyed! And I hope the lengthliness made up for the length it took to update...**

**So... now it's the part where I beg for reviews! You know what to do ;)**

**I love you all, with my heart and soul.**

**~Amy x**


	20. Battle Of The Studio Hotties, Part II

**Hi guys! Now before I say anything else, I'd like to mention...**

**It's my FANFICTION ANNIVERSARY! *parties***

**Yes, and because of this, I've been determined to update all night. I only have, like, 30 mins to spell check, so apologies for any mistakes. **

**Review reply - k.98'PeaceOutSuckas, thanks for your reviews again, you are amazing. Sorry for the blasphemy thing, I'm not exactly sure on where blasphemy begins. Everyone reading, just remember, if I say something that offends you, odds are I don't mean it, so don't worry. *heart***

**So, this, in celebration of my FF anniversary (or ffaniversary ;)), is dedicated to all of you! Everyone! I love you all so much, and if it wasn't for y'all, I would've given up this a long time ago. I love my FanFiction family, so very, very much... and all my fans too! Seriously, you're all AH-MAZ-ING! :D**

**So... chapter time! Part 2 of...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19 - Battle of The Studio Hotties Part II<strong>

Chad's POV

I arrive home at 10:30pm, only coz my stupid car wouldn't start and there was traffic. I swear, someone up there just wanted me to get in trouble with Mom.

I crash through the door, looking around the room in a frenzy. I sigh with relief when I notice Mom isn't around.

Thank God.

I drop my keys quietly on the coffee table, tip-toeing passed Mom's room so that she doesn't bite my head off, before heading straight to my room, too tired to do anything but collapse on my bed.

I walk into my door – luckily it is open, so I don't hurt myself – zombie-walking towards my bed. My legs give way and I land gracelessly on my bed, reaching for my pillow and hugging it like it's my friend.

A loud noise interrupts my peace as a silhouette shoves open my door. I grimace with all the energy I have left.

Mom.

"CHAD DYLAN COOPER!" She screams. My tiredness causes me to be suddenly sarcastic.

"Hello, mother." I drone, "It's lovely seeing you at this late hour."

I can almost hear Mom scowl at me. "Don't speak that way to me, Chad!" She growls, "You are home 30 minutes passed your curfew!"

I blame my fatigue for the eye roll that follows. Hey, I'm never accountable for my actions when I'm tired. "Sorry, Mom…" I yawn, "I was hanging out with Son- a friend…" (Mom doesn't much like Sonny for her reputation) "…and then my car wouldn't start, and then there was traffic getting into the road… it wasn't my fault!"

Mom eyeballs the ceiling, "Okay, sure…" She says, "Don't let it happen again! I was worried sick!"

I lift my hand and waft it about, my face still flat on the pillow, "Alright, Mom, I won't do it again, promise… can I sleep now?"

Mom groans and glowers at me, before leaving my room and shutting the door behind her. A few seconds, I feel a vibration in my jeans pocket and groan.

My stupid _freakin'_ phone.

I get the phone out of my pocket, ready to press 'ignore', when I see the caller ID and sigh.

Sonny.

"What do ya want, Sonshine?" I ask. I hear a giggle over the other side of the phone, before she clears her throat noisily.

"I can't sleep." She says simply. I growl.

"Neither can I." I say matter-of-factly, "Gee, I wonder why…"

Sonny laughs, "Sowwyyyy…." She moans, "I'm just tired, bored… I thought you could cheer me up in that Happy Chad way you always do!"

I grumble, "Well, sorry, but Happy Chad doesn't work between the hours of 10pm and 6am."

"Aw, that's a shame." Sonny says. I can almost hear her pout. "I'm just totally stressed… stupid movie. I can't wait for it to be over."

"The movie's stressed you?" She makes a noise that signals a 'yes'. "Then why did you even start it in the first place?"

Sonny exhales sadly, "I did it because of some things I'd heard in the press. Some people had been saying some nasty stuff about me to the press, and I…" She pauses, "…I just wanted to do something that proved that _Sonny Munroe's _life is as glamorous as it seemed."

I sigh, nodding understandingly. Poor, poor Sonny. I find it awful that she finds the need to hide her whole life from everyone. What her Dad and Tawni did to her when she was a kid… heck, it must've scarred her a lot. I hate hearing about what happened to her… how scared, angry, annoyed she must've been… how much she was hurt. And then she feels that she has to protect herself from anything like that happening again? Gosh… I really hate it. I _hate_ seeing Sonny so hurt. My sweet, kind, beautiful, _amazing_ friend.

"You need some _rest_." I say to her calmly, "It'll help you relax."

"I caaaaannn't!" She moans, so loud I'm sure Mom can hear her down the hall. I sigh. "I need someone to sing me a lullaby!"

"I'll do it!" I say chirpily.

"Ooh, goody!" Sonny says, "Go on!"

"Okay…" I whisper, before I start singing, "…Hush little Sonny, go to bed… call me again and I'll rip of your head."

Sadly, my little lullaby doesn't help Sonny go to sleep. More, make her go crazy. She giggles like a freakin' hyena, before she snorts unattractively. I try hard not to join in with the laughing.

"Go to sleep, you nutcase." I murmur down the phone, before pressing the red button and disconnecting the call. A couple of minutes later, _Rocketeer _by Far East Movement plays softly through my phone **(Anyone else notice how Sterling/Chad was singing along when Far East Movement sang on So Random? So now m'Chad's a FEM fan :))**. I smirk in my half-slumber. Sonny's ring tone.

I pick up the phone, my fingers weak and numb from lying in such an awkward position for the last few minutes. I roll over onto my back and read the text with a smirk.

_Goodnight to you too, Mr Rude. :P See ya tomorrow! Son x _

The last thing I remember is chuckling softly, before I drop the phone onto my face **(we've all done this)**, moan in pain, and drift into sleep.

* * *

><p>I wake up in the morning, with little memory of last night. All I remember is my stupid phone being the cause of me passing out… <em>meh. <em>Like I said, _stupid _phone.

Slowly, I get up. I find my way to the bathroom, locking myself inside, before gasping at the slight damage my phone did to my eye. I have a small, red mark underneath my left eye, which is turning slightly purple in places.

Okay, I seriously _hate_ phones.

After a wash, I decide to let the mark just stay there, before heading back to my room for some clothes.

So, for the last 30 minutes I'd been going at a snail's pace, right? So it didn't help that this was the moment I checked the time on my phone and realised it was 9:50am.

As in, I had 10 minutes to get to work.

_Damn. _I curse in my head, before racing to get dressed. I dash out into the kitchen, grabbing some random piece of fruit from the fruit bowl, before shouting a 'goodbye' to my probably still-sleeping mother, and leaving the apartment to get to work asap.

Luckily, there's no traffic today, which means I'm only 2 minutes late for work. I just kind of hope Marshall isn't in a bad mood today…

"Chad!"

A voice wakes me from my rush, and I turn on my heels to see Sterling Knight (still not used to that), wearing a checked red shirt and jeans, and he hasn't gelled his hair today, rather just let it be. **(Like I said on Twitter the other day – picture this QTO Chad as Alex from 17 Again, only sweeter and happier :D If you haven't seen it, see it for Sterling :P Okie, me shut up now)** Huh, he looks like… well, me.

"Hey, buddy!" He grins.

"Hi." I say, "Aren't you due on set for Sonny's movie?"

He shrugs, "No, we start filming in 30 minutes… I just felt like coming to say hi… you haven't got anything on right now, do you?"

"I do, actually." I say, before kicking myself mentally for sounding rude. Sterling doesn't seem shaken.

"So Random?" I nod. "Apparently, your rehearsals are delayed for an hour or so."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Intercom announced it, 15 minutes ago." Crap. So I did all that rushing about for nothing. "So… I was just wondering, wanna hang out?"

I blink. Sterling Knight wants to hang out… with me? Two days ago, this would've been something from a dream. But then, now it's really happening! Still, something is just eating at me, like Sterling wanting to hang out with me is just a mind trick, or the Dramas messing with me.

I shake it off.

"Sure." I say with a smile, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Well, as 'hanging out with your number one idol' goes, this is a rather odd experience. While we're walking towards the So Random set, Sterling studies me seriously, smiling every now and again to assure me he's friendly. I nod, puzzled, before pretending I'm not freaked out by his behaviour. At one point, he even drags out a notepad and pen, writing something down every time I pick up a drink or say hi to a cast member.<p>

It begins to get creepy.

It gets even weirder when he begins to study my eye. He then rejects the notepad and gets out a recording device, saying, "Red mark on eye." into it. I reach for my eye before groaning, remembering my stupid phone accident from last night.

"How'd ya get that?" Sterling asks, tossing the recorder from one hand to another.

"Oh, I uh…" I bite my lip, "…dropped my phone on my eye."

Sterling nods seriously (which is odd – I expected him to burst out with laughter) before lifting the recorder to his mouth and saying, "Clumsy."

I blink, trying to bite back any cruel retaliation (which is good, coz I can't think of something negative about him and I'd probably end up tripping over my words. Okay, scratch that, I just thought of something negative – he's freakin' nosy). "What are you doing?" I ask him, "And why are you recording things about me?"

He shrugs nonchalantly, "Well, if I'm gonna play you, I wanna play you right." He chuckles kindly, before lifting the recorder again, "Pasty skin."

My eyes widen, "My skin isn't pasty!"

"Defensive." He adds.

"Stop that!" My voice goes up an octave, "I was voted number two on the Hollywood's Hotest Teens chart!"

Sterling shrugs, smiles smugly, before holding up a single index finger. "Number one!" He sings.

I resist rolling my eyes, and Sterling just smirks. "I'm joking." He says, "I know this is all weird, but I'm just trying to get into my character."

I can't help but smile after that. Well, I suppose he's a professional, and he's just doing his job… and he's putting in the effort.

"Well, if it means anything," I say to him, "I think you're gonna make a pretty awesome _me_."

Sterling grins his famous grin, **(*dies*) **"Thanks, buddy."

"You're welcome." I say, "If there's anything you need to know about me, just ask."

Sterling nods, "I just wanted to know… are you mad at the fact that I got the part and you didn't?"

I bite my lip. Damn! He can't know that! "No!" I laugh, my voice squeaking a little, "Wh – why would you think that?"

Sterling shrugs knowingly, before lifting the recorder, "Voice gets girly when in denial."

I gasp. "I am not…" My voice squeaks again, "I mean…" I force my voice to a lower octave, "I am not in denial."

Sterling smirks smugly, before leaning a little closer and saying, "Really, Chad? Really?"

* * *

><p>A few hours later, and I arrive at the set of Melody Falls – which is now being used for some scenes in The Sonny Munroe Story – eager to see Sterling's performance. I mean, he was following me around all morning for advice, and he is playing me, so it's only fair I get to watch… right?<p>

I just made it out of So Random, and it seems they are already doing a scene. Sonny is stood in front of the guy who is playing Skyler, and he caresses her cheek softly as she says a few lines. Moments later, Sterling walks in, face like thunder.

"What is _wrong _with you?" He demands, and Sonny frowns.

"What's wrong with me?" She asks "Skyler", "What's wrong with…" She then pauses, "You didn't say that…" She mumbles. She then turns to Sterling, who folds his arms irritably, and sighs.

"We need to talk." Sterling glowers at her.

Sonny waves her hand so that the Skyler actor knows to leave, before she turns to "me". The lights are dimmed, the background is changed… and the air is suddenly light, romantic… huh, freaky. What in the world are they doing?

"What are you doing here?" Sonny asks, "You can't just barge in here and interrupt _me_ while I'm making Melody Falls _magic_!"

Sterling just shrugs and scowls, and I shuffle around on my toes, uncomfortably. That doesn't look like what I'd do…

"I think I've made my point." Sterling says.

"Good!" Sonny yells. My stomach churns.

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Through the whole "fight", Sonny and Sterling are getting closer and closer, before the grab each other, hold each other tight, and then, the worse bit comes.

Sterling kisses her. Full on the lips.

And Sonny kisses back.

I don't want to watch anymore. I storm out of them room, and back to my dressing room. Just wondering one thing…

_Why does it hurt so much?_

Sonny's POV

I get to the studio at 11:30am, and everyone else is already here, ready. Including Sterling, who is playing my bestest _bestest_ friend. I almost confuse him for Chad – with the checked shirt, the non-gelled hair, the sweet, innocent look on his face… he looks just like my buddy.

He bundles up to me with that same clumsy grin I've seen on Chad before. Only, Chad makes it look cuter…

…

Ignore that.

"Hey, Sonshine!" He says with a smirk. Ah, so he's learnt Chad's nickname for me too.

"Hey, Chaddy." I greet him with a smirk, "You're looking very much like you today."

Sterling laughs, "That's coz I've been spending time with me all morning!" He says, "So, are we ready to get this thing done?"

"Let's get it over with." I say, sighing in a bored manner, before wandering over to the Melody Falls set. It has been changed around a lot, and at the moment, a removable set has been put up, to make it look like the day where Chad and I met in the cafeteria. Along with a few changes, thanks to the Sonny Munroe ego and the producers whose job is to make me "look better".

As the "director" of this movie, I call everyone to attention. They do so in a snap, because, by the looks on their faces, they don't want lose their jobs. Yup. I'm that bad. I take my place, and Sterling does the same, and when my assistant director calls "action" (because I can't do it myself or I'll "lose my character"), we begin the scene.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, and we've rehearsed almost every scene that Sterling and me have together, and filmed quite a few of them. Sterling is an awesome Chad, I have to admit.<p>

But then… no-one beats the original Chad. No-one.

Now, we're going to film the scene where Chad barges onto the set while we're filming Melody Falls "magic", as the script calls it. And yes, I wrote that. Apologies for the bigheadedness of my _stupid _character…

I'm doing the scene with a Skyler look-alike, because, frankly, I didn't want to spend any more time with those losers. And, I think they can say the same thing about me. we're doing a scene from the same day that this event happened. I remember that day so clearly… I was so different; so immature, so egoistical, such a mess…

It's amazing how one person can change a whole life around.

"Look, Devon," I say spectacularly to the look-alike, "I like you, and you're a great guy, but I cannot love you."

"What is _wrong _with you?" A voice yells from behind me. Sterling.

"What's wrong with me?" I say, mimicking the time when this exact encounter happened between Chad and I. "What's wrong with… you didn't say that." I turn around to see Sterling stood, arms folded, a scowl plastered on his lips, his eyes cold. Originally he didn't look so… so mad, because I didn't want Chad to seem the "bad guy", but the producers, whose job it is to make me, as I said, "look better", had other plans. And Sterling, though he was also confused by the change, easily adjusted. Of course, I couldn't complain – Sonny Munroe doesn't care about Chad or what this might make him seem like. Of course, nothing matters in the world of Sonny Munroe… except, a _lot_ does, really.

"We need to talk." Sterling is saying. He looks angry – angrier than Chad did when we had this encounter ourselves. He doesn't seem like Chad anymore… stupid producers…

I groan, sending the Skyler look-alike away and out of the shot, leaving me and "Chad" alone.

"What are you doing here?" I demand, "You can't just barge in here and interrupt _me _while I'm making Melody Falls _magic!_"

Sterling shrugs, the scowl still hanging around, "I think I've made my point." He growls.

The lights are dimmed, because the producers wanted a love interest (Chad? Yup. One word – yuck. I mean – we're friends!), and Sterling and I step closer and closer with every word in mine and Chad's signature good-fine fight, before we're pretty much in each other's arms. It's extremely weird. I feel my stomach churn, like I'm doing something I shouldn't, but it's too late for that.

Sterling and I are kissing. We were told to, for the love interest thing.

It makes me feel sick. Sick that people are going to see me and my best friend as lovers. Sick that I'm showing people my life in this way… and it's not even my real life.

But worst of all… I'm sick that I'm kissing Sterling. It feels like betrayal. It feels like…

It feels like betrayal towards Chad.

Sterling pulls away after a few seconds, and he looks sick too. This obviously isn't acting though…

"I have to go do something, Sonny…" He says, "I'm really sorry… I'll be right back…"

He then runs out of the room and down the hallway. I watch him, puzzled.

What in the world…?

Chad's POV

A knock at the door tears me from the painful world that is my thoughts for the last 2 minutes, and, low and behold, Sterling Knight himself enters my dressing room, frowning apologetically.

"Hey, buddy…" He says, trying to be friendly, even though I can tell by his movements that he feels the need to tread on eggshells.

"Hi." I say, my voice sounding depressed. Why the heck do I sound so… so… miserable? I don't sound like me, that's for sure. It sounds almost alien… I haven't been this down for almost 5 months… and please, don't ask.

Sterling bites his lip, like he doesn't quite know what to say. He opens his mouth, then closes it, before saying, "I saw you run out of Melody Falls back there… is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." I say, pretty unconvincingly. Sterling tilts his head and folds his arms, and I realise he's spent the whole morning with me… and he probably knows my every move. I sigh. "I just…"

"You ran out when I kissed Sonny." He says, before pausing. His eyes widen, his mouth making an 'o' of surprise, and he turns to me and gasps. "Dude… do you… _like _Sonny? Like, _really _like her?"

I suddenly feel something sharp, stuck in my throat. I gulp, trying really hard to get rid of that stinging pain.

"No, no!" I protest, and Sterling's eyes narrow, "What the heck would make you think that?"

"Well," He sighs, "I saw the look on your face when I kissed her. It was almost like, call me crazy, but like… _you_ wanted to kiss her instead."

I jump off my chair in surprise and slight offence. "Pshh!" I laugh, snorting a little, "I don't like Sonny in that way! And I certainly don't want to kiss her!"_ You used to. And you did. _Shut up, conscience.

"Chad." Sterling leans up against the doorframe, his eyes somewhere between sympathetic and amused, "I can tell that you like the girl, in one way or another. When her name is mentioned, your eyes sparkle, and you always act weird around her."

I exhale loudly. I can't tell Sterling the truth about me and Sonny. He wouldn't understand. And he may be a nice guy, but he's still a Hollywood guy. I trust that he wouldn't run and tell the paparazzi, but with these Hollywood types… you never know.

I raise my arms in the air, "I just thought… I mean, your acting. It wasn't really…" I gulp, phrasing my words carefully so as to not offend the one guy who could make me look like a monster in front of hundreds of thousands of people. He is playing me in a movie, after all. "…_me_."

Sterling shrugs, "I know what you mean." He says, "It wasn't my idea… sorry about that. But the producers wanted to make Sonny "look better", hence, I had to make you look worse."

I bite my lip. So hard this time, that I can taste blood. "Didn't Sonny do anything to stop this?"

"Kind of." He says, "She said she was Sonny Munroe and could make herself look good without anyone's help… wait a second." He grins a little, which freaks me out. "There you go again! Thinking about Sonny."

I shake my head vigorously, and then worry it seemed too… denying. "Nothing's going on between us, okay? And I don't feel anything for her." _Except maybe friendship. _Not. Helping.

Sterling puts his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay!" He laughs, "I just thought…"

"Well, you thought wrong." I say. He just sighs and nods. "I just didn't like the way I was being portrayed."

"I understand." Sterling says, "Maybe you should come along and show me how you think I show play you."

"Okay, I will."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"F-…" I roll my eyes, "Great, now we're doing it."

Sonny's POV

After lunch, Sterling and I are back on set, filming a love scene between Sonny and Chad. Cue throw-up. I mean, it's not that I don't think Chad is attractive, it's just that… c'mon, we're friends… it's just so wrong!

"Aw, Chad." I say, "Funny, funny little Chad… who would've known when you left your little comedy show, you'd be falling hard for the Queen of Drama?" I flash a smile at the camera, and Sterling smirks. I look deeply into his eyes, and silently compare them to Chad's. They're blue, like Chad's… but Chad's eyes shine brighter…

What am I saying?

"Oh, Sonny." He sighs, "Pretty, pretty Sonny… of all the eyes in all of Hollywood, I had to get lost in yours…"

"CUT!"

Sterling pulls away as a familiar voice yells for the scene to break, and when I find my way back to reality I see Chad himself, sat in a little director's chair, wearing a beret.

"That's not how it happened." He says into his megaphone, before beckoning Sterling over. He shoots me a mean (yet I know he's joking) look, before turning to Sterling.

"Hey, Sterling, I think you're playing it wrong." He says, "Remember, when Sonny's staring into your eyes, she's staring at _her reflection_ in your eyes, okay?" Sterling nods. "Oh, and you hate her." He adds, before someone calls action and we continue. I pull the peeved diva look, before continuing with the scene.

"Oh, Chad. Please stop yourself from falling in love with me…" I gaze into his eyes. Not as blue as Chad's… ugh! "I beg of you."

"I'm just a small-town guy with a big-town dream…" Sterling grins, "And meeting you is the biggest dream of all…"

"Okay, cut, cut!" Chad yells again, getting up from his chair. The diva inside me is fuming.

"Again, really?" I yell.

"It's okay, Sonny." Sterling says calmly, "He's helping me."

"Okay, so Sterling, remember." Chad says, "Your biggest dream is to be on So Random. Sonny is just the _Godzilla _that wakes you up!" His voice builds up, "Oh, and remember that you hate her! You just really, really hate her!"

I bite my lip, keeping in the laughs. This must be hilarious on the outside… I know Allie Munroe would love to laugh right now.

Chad smiles shyly, "Action."

I glare at Chad, trying to keep Sonny Munroe under control, before turning to Sterling.

"Chad…"

"Oh, and one more thing!" Chad interrupts again. "She's the _worst_ actress of our generation."

I know that would set Sonny Munroe off. I grab a megaphone from the side and start yelling at Chad. Sterling watches as we yell, before groaning.

"Stop it!" He yells. We quieten, and he sighs. "Gosh, Chad, you were right. You guys should never be together."

"Exactly!" Chad yells, "Gosh, I've been trying to tell him that all day."

He puts the megaphone down, walks out of the room, and Sterling and I watch him.

"Um… so, are we gonna carry on?" Sterling asks.

"Uh…" I shake my head, my head spinning for some reason, "No, I just need a little break. I'll be in my dressing room, if anyone needs me."

I pass him, and run straight to my dressing room, with a need to think.

Chad's POV

I'm walking down the Condor Studio hallways aimlessly with no clear intention of where I want to go. I've been wandering for, uh, 20 minutes, and now, I'm in Melody Falls. I think.

I'm just trying to get my head straight. I'm annoyed – because of Sterling and how he thought I might have _those _feelings for Sonny, and confused – because I don't know what to do about it. Go talk to Sonny about it? Too awkward. Talk to a Random? They'd rip my face off. Talk to Sterling? He's part of the problem. And I know my mom would just fuss and sigh and tell me to "follow my heart". Well, that's what I'm doing now. And, quite frankly, my heart's got me lost.

And now it's just too stubborn to ask for directions.

And yes, I was talking metaphorical back there.

When I finally wake up and take in my surroundings, I realise I'm stood right outside Sonny's dressing room. I reach for the doorknob, before changing my mind and snapping my wrist back. What if she doesn't want to talk? What if she's busy? Reluctant, I enter anyway.

"Sonny?" I sing softly, "You here?"

"I'm here." She says, and at this moment, I notice her lying on her couch, flipping through a script.

"How's the movie going?" I ask her, and she shrugs.

"Okay…" She says, "We're on a break. I just needed some alone time, to think, you know?"

"I know." I say, remembering my hours spent in my dressing room earlier. I take a seat next to her, and she moves her legs so I'm not sat on them. After a few seconds silence, Sonny sighs deeply.

"Whatcha thinking?" I ask, and she shrugs.

"I don't know." She says, "I'm just… confused."

"Well…" I take her hand and squeeze it, "You know, you can tell me. I'm your best friend."

Sonny grins and opens her mouth to speak, but then, the door to her dressing room swings open, and with it, her mouth slams shut.

"What the heck…?"

Sonny and I look up, synchronised, and there he is.

Sterling Knight. He looks from me, to Sonny, to me again, before a grin forms on his face as he notices our hands. I pull my hand away from Sonny, remembering his accusations that I "liked" her earlier, and smile at him like nothing happened.

"Hey, Sterling." I stammer, "What's, uh… what's going on?"

"You guys…" He points an accusing finger, to both of us, before he crosses his arms stubbornly. "I knew it. I knew something was going on here."

I see Sonny pull a face beside me. "Are you kidding?" She laughs, "Something, going on here? Ha! That's funny, Sterling."

"Don't try to hide anything, I saw you!" Sterling says, "You were holding hands… someone, tell me what the heck is going on here!"

Sonny sighs, looking at me, as if to ask my permission. I nod, and so she turns to Sterling. "We're not dating." She says, "We're… friends."

"Good friends." I add.

"Great friends." Sonny giggles. Sterling's eyes narrow a little, before his mouth forms a little 'o' and he gasps.

"Oh my gosh… that's awkward." He laughs. "Oops. Now that I think about it… that explains why you guys are so good around each other!" We nod. "Wow… now that I think about it, you guys would never be together!"

Sonny frowns, "Why would you think that? I mean, sure, we're friends, but that doesn't mean we're not allowed to have other feelings for each other…"

"She has a point." I say, my brain suddenly not in control of my heart. Or my mouth. "I mean, if I wanna think she has pretty hair, I will!"

"Yeah!" Sonny says, "And if I wanna think he has sparkly eyes, then I will!"

"Oh-kay…" Sterling says, "Well then, if you guys have such good chemistry… I suppose maybe Chad should take the role of himself."

Sterling smiles, shrugs, and wanders towards the door. Sonny watches, confused. "Wait… you're leaving my movie?"

Sterling nods, "I don't _need _this. I was in Prince Protection Programme!" **(LOL)**

"Oh, okay." Sonny says, "Just, please don't tell anyone we're friends!"

Sterling sighs, melting under Sonny's puppy-dog eyes, before he groans. "Okay, I won't."

He slams the door behind him, leaving me and Sonny alone.

"Well, then…" Sonny says, "That was interesting…"

"Yes it was…" I say, shuffling my feet shyly, "You really think I have sparkly eyes?"

"Well… I suppose," Sonny blushes, "Do you think I have pretty hair?"

"Uh, yeah…" I say, mimicking her tone (but not on purpose), "So, what are you gonna do about the role?"

"Do you want it?" She offers, and I grin.

"That would be cool."

"Good." She grins.

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine!" She says, "So, come in tomorrow for an audition?"

I roll my eyes, "Really, Sonny? Really?"

She smirks, "Not really. You've got the part, see you tomorrow."

I grin, before turning back to the door. I pause on the way out, and smile, "Thanks again, Sonshine."

I can hear her giggle. "You're welcome."

And with that, I turn around, kiss her lightly on the cheek, and head straight back to So Random.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay... so that ending was crappy, I know. But that's coz I rushed it. And I know that's not good, but hey, I wanted this up...<strong>

**So... love it? Hate it? Don't care? Please review!**

**And happy anniversary to me! :P Where's m'presents? ;) (I feel like Chad in Three's Not Company :P)**

**Peace Out ;)**

**~Amy x**


	21. Celebrity Practical Joke'd!

**Hey there, guys! So, I'm at my grandma's right now in Yorkshire (I live in the South, she lives in the North of England) so I have no Internet connection and cannot update. But I have finished this chapter, so rather than waiting till I get home to write the ANs and spell-check, I'll do it all now so I can get everything done and can update as soon as I get home tomorrow (Sunday, today :P). **

**Also, apologies for the long wait, but like I said in NSLFF, I have been working on my school production. Our last rehearsal is tomorrow, and our last performance will be Wednesday. Then I'll be FREEE! :D**

**Shout-out to moniquelovesbooksandstories, for being so helpful in this chapter. She whipped me into shape for this and told me to get a move on, and then when I had no ideas, she helped me! So this chapter is dedicated to her. Love you, Monique! :D**

**So, this chapter is based on Prank'd. Awesome episode to watch, hard episode to write. But hey, I've got it done, and I kind of enjoyed writing it. So I hope y'all enjoy reading it!**

**Here we gooo!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20 – Celebrity Practical Joke'd!<strong>

Chad's POV

Sonny's movie is filmed in an unbelievably short time – well, the scenes with the other Randoms are finished by the end of the first week. And, luckily, thanks to my begging, Sonny had the script changed a little so that a) us 'Randoms' didn't look as stupid, and b) the whole "love interest" thing between me and Sonny was cut out.

To be honest, Sonny didn't need much convincing on the whole "love interest" thing. I mean, we're friends… she's my best girl bud… it's just so wrong! And she agreed, which is why she got it re-written, under her supervision, and made us frenemies instead.

The first thing was a slightly harder one to sell. Of course, Sonny had to show the world that in her eyes, Randoms were minors, and she sort of had an eye for revenge on Tawni. But, fortunately, she toned down the humiliating Random moments when I gave her the puppy eyes.

Ha. Sucker!

Sure, spending time around Sonny in this way wasn't the best of experiences. We were around the Randoms, most times filming, and when we were filming a scene with just me and her, we still couldn't break the enemies act because we knew someone would probably see us and tell the press that we actually got along. That wouldn't have had the prettiest of endings…

But hey, I was perfectly fine with the whole experience – at least I got to spend time with Sonny. Not to mention the cash I got paid for it. Ha ha, result!

* * *

><p>A week after our scenes had finished filming, the whole movie was finished. Which meant we were back to the way we were. Sonny and I could only see each other in secret, and when we did see each other outside our own time, we had to put on the <em>act. <em>

Yippee.

Monday 14th November, and everything is back to normal. Nico and Grady are back to playing their video games; Tawni is in the corner of the room, applying some make-up; Zora is back in her sarcophagus; and as for me, I'm texting some of my old Wisconsin friends.

There's suddenly a tapping in the corridor – it sounds like high heels. A smile creeps onto my lips.

Sonny.

She strolls into the Prop House, her lips set in a fixed, forced smirk, and I smiled a little before watching my cast-mates roll their eyes, and I throw my phone down into the couch I'm sat on. I get up, walk over to Sonny and glower at her.

"Morning, Randoms!" She coos, flashing her infamous grin.

"And what brings you here, Sonny?" I ask, "You're spending an awful lot of time coming to visit us…" A smirk creeps onto my lips, "I think you like us!"

Sonny's sparkling brown eyes widen, before she bursts out laughing, snorting a little for emphasis. She looks kind of crazed… but still cute…

…F-friend cute.

Mmm-hmm…

"Please!" She says between cackles, "Like… you… RANDOMS? THAT'S a good one!" She recollects herself, brushing imaginary dust off her abnormally short skirt, before looking back up at me with a grin. "No, I just decided I'd grace you with my presence."

Tawni scoffs, "What made you think we _want _your presence? You're poisoning our hallways with your _drama._"

I just about hear Sonny mumble something, something that sounds like, "More so than you think…" before she giggles at us, "Going now! You guys are boring me…" She gives me one last secret smile, and mouths something that looks like "forgive me", before turning on her heels.

"Toodles!" She yells back, before skipping gracefully down the hall, leaving a room of confused Randoms… including me.

Of course, I soon find out what Sonny was up to. After hanging out in the Prop House for a few more minutes, we each go back to our dressing rooms. I open the door to mine, puzzled when I notice the lights are on. I take a couple of steps into the room before hearing a creek above me. I look up to see nothing but a bucket full of some kind of goo falling towards me.

Then _splat_.

Right on the head.

I am paralyzed with slight shock and confusion for a minute. What on earth…?

I take a deep breath and remove the bucket from my head to see a whirlwind run past me, as the green gooey stuff trickles down my face, making my hair sticky and my vision partially blocked. I follow the whirlwind out into the hallway, and can just about see past the goo. Skyler and Marta, two Drama kids, are sprinting towards Stage 2, Marta waving a camera above her head, Skyler laughing.

"Take that, Random loser!" He yells back, and I bite my lip.

I think I've just been _punk'd_ (excuse the reference…).

I stumble back into my dressing room, checking for any other laid traps, when I notice a small slip of paper on the couch. I pick it up, to see Sonny's familiar writing.

_Gotcha! Ha!_

_You've just been gooed, Random! ;)_

_~TV's Sonny Munroe xxx_

A pang of anger stabs my throat. How… how could she? How could she do this to me – as her friend?

It seems I'm not the only one who's been attacked. When I return at the Prop House, Tawni is sat on the couch, arm crossed, her face blue, her hair looking like a Smurf had exploded in it, (sorry… couldn't resist :P), and Nico and Grady are just… hanging. Literally. From about 5 feet in the air, in a net. Zora is clean, but she is telling the others that she'd been hit by a pie when she got back to her… hiding spot in the vents somewhere (I didn't want to ask where that was…).

"You too?" Tawni growls when she sees me, and I nod. I tried to clear myself up before I came, but that goo is irremovable.

"That's it…" Zora says as she struggles to cut Nico and Grady free with a pair of scissors, "This calls for major retaliation… who's in the mood for a revenge prank?"

A wave of agreement floods the room, but I stay silent. They can do what they want, I don't care… I just wanna know why exactly Sonny did this to us, to me…

Once Zora has freed Nico and Grady from their swinging rope prison, everyone leaves the room, with plans for revenge, and that's when I take Sonny's note out of my pocket and scan it to see that it is folded. I open up the note to see her handwriting once again.

_Hey, buddy. Sorry about the prank… wasn't my idea, I promise. It was the others… honestly. You trust me, right? It was my cast's idea of a joke. Bleh. And I was going to ask that they didn't prank you, but then I thought it would've got a little suspicious…_

_Anyways, just a note to apologise! And I know your friends are probably planning to get back at me right now… haha, you know it's true ;)_

_Just remember I love you – you're mah number one buddy! _

_Yours apologetically, TV's Sonny Munroe. xxx_

I can't help but laugh at Sonny's little apology, and feel all the anger from earlier fade. I get it. She couldn't stop these pranks, or her cast would've known something was going on. Yet, I still feel like I need to do something to get back at them…

I suddenly hear the ringing of a phone. Uh, my phone. I spin around to see my phone vibrating on the couch – that phone that I left here earlier. Whoops.

I pick up the phone, perplexed by the unfamiliar tone on the other end of the line.

"Chad Dylan Cooper?" The voice asks.

"That's me." I say, "How can I help you?"

"Mr Cooper, my name is Joseph Campbell." The male voice says **(Random name), **"I'm executive producer of a brand new prank TV show."

I blink, "Am I being pranked right now?" I ask, "Coz trust me, this day has just been full of enough surprises already."

The man laughs, "Oh, no, no, we're looking for a teen star to _host_ it. Young, well-known, fresh, popular with the audience, funny, a real character…" He takes a deep breath, "My people and I believe that you would be the perfect host."

My breath catches on at the back of my throat. These people… think that I could be the host of this show? …Wow. That is just too cool… I then realise this is also the perfect opportunity to get back at the Drama kids.

"It's not a definite yet." Joseph is saying, "We need to get a few details sorted out over the next few days, but after we've finished these, I'll call you and we can discuss this more. So, what do you say?"

I smile slyly.

"Alright." I say, "I'm in."

Sonny's POV

A week passes since my cast and I (ugh. I hate saying "and I". Like I agreed to it) pranked the Randoms. I haven't talked to Chad since… gosh, I hope he's okay. I just haven't had time – we're filming the penultimate episode of this season of Melody Falls, and next week will be rehearsals for the Christmas episode, which is the finale. I've just been so busy promoting the season's closing and some other stuff I may be working on until April when we start filming again… and I think Chad's been busy too. Yeah, that's why he hasn't been calling me. It's not because he's mad at me or anything for those pranks…

I hope.

We're reading through the episode of the Falls when Random girl Zora stalks in, which makes me shudder. Okay, so I don't mind the Randoms (the only one I truly hate is Tawni…) but hey, Zora scares me. She's just… weird.

She fires me a death glare the second she sees me, before smiling evilly and striding towards us.

"Have you guys heard?" She asks.

"What?" Marta asks, her mouth filled with food. Yuck. Someone doesn't know manners… "That your show's finally flunked?"

A murmur of laughs causes Zora to shoot Marta a scowl, and everyone shuts up. We're all kind of scared of what this girl could do to us… she's pranked us before, and it wasn't pretty.

"No…" She says, "Chad is now host of a new celebrity prank show."

Ahh… so that's what he's been doing! Awesome! Aww, I'm so proud for him, I knew he'd get some big gig sooner or later…

…Uh oh.

It's that moment, when I see Zora's smirk, when I realise what she has in mind.

"And I believe he's still hurt from the prank you guys pulled on him the other day…"

I gulp and slump down into my chair, blushing a little.

Oops.

"Watch your backs," Zora says, eying me suspiciously, "Coz any one of you could end up the victim of Chad's first prank… any one of you…" Zora growls, scaring everyone around the table, before she smiles sweetly like the 11 year-old she's _supposed _to be, and skipping away.

Ohhh-kayyyy…

* * *

><p>After I can escape from rehearsals, I decide to make my way to Chad's dressing room to make sure he's not mad at me for the prank. I go to knock on his door, before pulling back my hand and biting my lip. Gosh, I sure hope this goes right…<p>

Hesitant, I knock on the door, and wait a few seconds before my friend's voice calls for me to enter. When I open the door, he's reading a book called "The Hundred Best Pranks of the Century". **(I honestly don't know whether that's real or not…) **I gulp.

Chad looks up at me and smiles harmlessly. Ugh… he's so innocent, it's hard to believe that he could possibly be plotting to prank me right now.

"You okay?" He asks, getting up and waving a hand in front of my face, "You look like you're daydreaming. Everything okay?"

I force a smile, "Yeah, everything's fine." I lie. "And with you?"

"Great." He grins. Ha, yeah, you say that, Chad, but if you prank me on national television, I swear…

Wait a sec, why am I so suspicious? I mean, a girl who hates me was trying to scare me into the fact that my best friend _may _pull a prank on me for revenge. Chad is many things – amazing, funny, cool (more good things than bad. He's almost flawless) – and one thing I know he is is forgiving, I'm sure he won't hold a grudge on me for a little prank that I wanted no part in…

Maybe.

You never know, to be honest…

Chad passes me this week's new issue of _Tween Weekly_ and slumps down on the couch, continuing to read his book. I sit next to him, a reasonable distance away, and open the mag to see something that catches my eye immediately.

In the _Hollywood News_ section, an article describes a new movie, which they are casting, based on super-heroine _Fashionita. _Fashionita was my favorite superhero when I was younger – yeah, yeah, I was into all that stuff. And now, to play the role of one of my childhood interests… it would be a dream come true!

This is the role I was born to play!

"I knew you'd like that." Chad grins. He knows of my loves as a child – I've told him almost everything. _Almost _everything…

"It would be _amazing _to get that part!" I confess to him, forgetting my prank fears, "I could live my childhood again!"

Chad smirks, "Well, that's pretty cool. And you know; the director for that movie is the same director who gave me the part in that pranking show."

"Oh, yeah…" I force another smile, "Zora told me about that. Congrats."

Chad raises an eyebrow, "_Zora _told you?"

"Uh-huh…" I murmur weakly, my voice squeaking. Confused but obviously weary, Chad gives up on the subject.

"I should get going…" He says, jumping up, "Need to go practice how I jump out on the prankees."

"Oh?" I say innocently.

"Yup." He smiles, "They want me to say…" He then makes a pose, "You've just _Celebrity Practical Joke'd_, sucker!"

I bite my lip, "Can't wait to see it."

"Oh, trust me." He laughs, "You'll be one of the first."

He then turns on his heels and strolls out of the dressing room, whistling simply.

_You'll be one of the first_? He was acting so… harmless. So innocent. So naïve.

Boy, he's good.

He's gonna prank me. I can feel it.

Portlyn's POV **(OMC FIRST TIME! Bear with here…)**

The day after that weird little Random threatened us, Sonny, our self-claimed "leader" flounces into the studio with an odd grin on her face. Huh, never seen her like this… well, apart from maybe the first few weeks of Melody Falls… but she's changed since then.

A lot.

This though, this is something different. She's… _skipping, _smiling at everyone…

Maybe a look-a-like has replaced her! _Finally! _No more Sonny, the bigheaded, snobby, bitchy **(sorry, but with Portlyn, it had to be said) **know-it-all who thinks she better than us. Maybe I'll get to be the lead now! Yesssss!

It isn't soon after, though, that I realise this _is _the real Sonny, she _hasn't _been replaced, and I'm _not _the new lead. Damn…

The truth is she's excited because she got a call for some movie role audition. Pfft.

"It's for some superhero movie, "She explains at lunch, in a listless way, contradicting with her attitude from earlier. She was… different, this morning. Kind of, well, sunny (HAHAHA! I'm funny… ;)), which confused the heck out of all of us. Now she's back to her normal self, lifting her chin like she's the Queen, eying everyone suspiciously, and wrinkling her nose every time she sees someone who's unworthy, like a Random. She doesn't for that cute new Random though, which is odd… and yes, I just called a Random cute. I didn't mean it in that sense, though. He just… he reminds me of a puppy. An annoying, pestering puppy you just can't get rid of…

Marta rolls her eyes, "Superhero movie?" She scoffs, "Why would _you _want to be involved in a _geek fest _like that?"

For a second, I see Sonny's eyes flash with anger, before she lets out a deep sigh, and turns to Marta, eying her like an insignificant bug she particularly wants to squish, "If you haven't notice, _Marta, _those things are super popular. _Especially _with geeks. If we want to stay on top, we have to appeal to _every _audience. If these geeks have seen _me_ on one of their geeky movies, they're gonna want to see more of me because, well, duh, I'm me…" Cue arrogant hair flip, "…and that means we stay on top!"

I don't mention that she's probably also gone for this audition because she used to love that lady she's auditioning for (what's her name? Fashionina? Fashionito?). I've known Sonny much longer than the others – I was friends with her and Tawni when Tawni was actually _decent. _Now she's a Random…

_Yuck_!

No-one else knows about that past, though. Right now, they're all praising Sonny for her amazing plan as she nods pompously and tucks into her lobster. I roll my eyes. Please, I could be a much better Fashion-thingy-ma-jig than she could! And surely, people would rather see me than Sonny…

"And I owe it all to Chad for recommending me to the director!" Sonny says, which stops us all in our tracks.

"Chad?" I repeat slowly. Sonny nods. "_Random_ Chad?"

"Geez, yes, Portlyn!" She sighs, "Are you seriously this slow?"

"Ha, this explains everything!" I say, "Why I was recommended instead… Sonny, he probably recommended you because the audition is obviously a prank!"

Sonny gasps, "Wh-what?" She yells, "That's…" She peers over at Chad, "That's crazy. I mean, just because Chad is hosting a new hidden camera prank show, and his little friend scared us into thinking that he wanted revenge…" She groans, dropping her fork on the table, "It's a prank, isn't it?"

I nod, glad that this whole thing about Sonny being recommended rather than me is a farce, "'Fraid so."

Sonny sighs, eying Chad like she's been betrayed. Huh, that's weird… surely she should've seen this coming? I sure did…

Weird…

She stays silent for the rest of lunch, studying Chad and the Randoms and eating her lobster quietly. And then, just as I stand, she pulls me back down onto my chair.

"Do you have any of that goo from the prank left over?" She whispers.

"Why?" I ask.

"Well… I'm going to go to my "audition"…" She says, using air-quotes over the word 'audition', "and I'm gonna ruin the prank before Chad can prank me!"

Grinning, Sonny skips out of the cafeteria, and I watch her with a smile.

Brilliant! I knew there was something going on… I knew if a director considered Sonny over _me, _something had to be wrong.

I wander up to the Randoms' table with a grin. Chad looks up at me over his ick and frowns.

"Portlyn?" He asks, "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Just came to say that Sonny isn't going to fall for your stupid little plan."

He blinks, "Okay…"

I nod, satisfied, before leaving to get back ready for rehearsals.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, we get another break, and Marta, Skyler and I are walking in the halls, me explaining about the whole prank mishap while they laugh about it.<p>

"I know if Sonny got chosen over me, there had to be something wrong!" I tell them, and they chuckle, nodding.

"I wish I could see the look on his poor little face when Sonny wrecks his prank." Marta smirks, to which Skyler and I laugh. I turn and head to the cafeteria, but bump into someone on the way.

"Watch it…" I say, before I look up and see who the offender is and gag.

"Random." I say, as Chad Dylan What's-His-Name looks down at me and frowns.

"Diva." He says, which makes me scowl. Why, I can't wait to see that stupid _I'm-so-smart_ look leave his face when Sonny wrecks his plans…

Wait…

"Chad!" I call, as he starts to walk off, and he groans.

"What?" He asks.

"What are you doing here?" I yell, "Shouldn't you be at Sonny _audition_?"

"Yeah," Skyler adds, "Ready to prank her?"

"Prank her?" Chad laughs, confused, "I'm not pranking her – the audition is real.

"_WHAT?_" I yell.

"Well, this means…" Skyler says, but I finish his sentence for him.

"They really didn't call me to audition!" I cry out. Chad rolls his eyes, before walking off towards So Random.

"I'm gonna text Sonny about this…" Marta says, fishing her phone out of her pocket and sending a message warning her not to mess the audition up.

Sonny's POV

I walk into my "audition", trying to play along as well as I can. Boy, is Chad in for a shock when I ruin his prank! Then maybe I'll give him a piece of my mind…

"Well, hello, everyone!" I say when I walk into the audition room. Three people are sat there – a young blonde woman, a man with grey hair and glasses, and a younger man with dark black hair and a slight tan, sat right in the middle. The director.

"I am so _excited _to be here for my _audition_…" I say with a sweet smile, my voice dripping with fake enthusiasm, "That my _dear_ friend Chad Dylan Cooper set up for me."

The director blinks, slightly fazed, "Well, we are excited to have you!" He says in a British accent, smiling, "Are you ready?"

I nod, my lips twisting into a smile, "Oh, yeah!" I place my handbag down on the floor and fish around in it for the goo I brought. I watch the director's face crease with confusion, and giggle.

"This is going to be an audition you will _never _forget…"

After a few minutes, I've coated the director with goo, and blown feathers all over his face. I can't help but laugh.

"Alright, Chad," I yell out as I drop the last few feathers on the director's head, "You can come out now and say I've been _celebrity practical joke'd, _sucker!"

But nothing happens. Well, except my phone rings. I take my phone out of my pocket and see I've got a text from Marta.

"_Don't do anything stupid. This audition is real_." I read, before laughing. "This audition is real, ha!" I gulp as I see the angry look on the director's face. Why hasn't he broken out of character? Unless… "Is this audition real?"

The director doesn't answer. He pulls a few of the feathers off his face and growls, "Get. Out."

I gasp. Oh no… this audition _was_ real.

"Okay!" I smile, trying to redeem myself, "I can get out – I can take directions, and that's the perfect reason why I should get this part!"

I smile kindly, but it's obviously too late. The two other people in the room usher me out, and I groan and give up.

Whoops.

* * *

><p>Later on, I enter Stage 3 of Condor Studios, shamed. And when I see Chad, it brings me even more shame. Especially when I realise he's heard about the whole "goo and feathers" thing…<p>

The moment he notices me, he grabs my arm and drags me into an empty room which is covered in newspaper for some reason. He glares at me, and I feel awful.

"Really, Sonny?" He moans, "You did the whole syrup and feather thing?"

I smile weakly, "It was goo, actually…" I say, trying to lighten the mood.

It doesn't work.

"Yeah, well, thanks to you, I'm in big trouble with the director…" He says, "He thought that whole thing was just a big joke to you! And me!"

"I… I'm sorry…" I stammer.

"I mean, I think he's basically given the job to Zora! Wh-what were you thinking?"

I gulp, "I was thinking that… you were pranking me, so I wanted to make sure it didn't happen."

Chad rolls his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, "And who… exactly… made you think this?"

I bite my lip, "Zora first, but mostly Portlyn."

Chad groans, looking up at the ceiling. "You trusted a girl who hates you, and a girl who hates me… over me?"

"Okay…" I wince, "Now I think about it, it was kind of stupid."

"Hmm, right." Chad sighs, "Just…" He holds his hands out, "Stay here… I'll be right back."

He walks out of the room, leaving me alone for a few minutes until the door opens again and five familiar faces burst through the door.

My cast.

"Sonny, what's going on?" Marta screams.

"Um… what?" I ask.

"Zora told us that you were in here with…" Portlyn shudders, "_Chad._"

Oh, crap… they've caught me and Chad.

"Well?" Skyler groans, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Um…" Yeah, I know. Worst. Attempt. For an excuse_. Ever._

Luckily, something distracts them which gets me off the hook. "Wait!" Marta says, paralysing herself to the floor, "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ferguson blinks, before a creek makes us all jump. We look around, nervous, and I find myself leaning up against the wall for protection. I then look up, and gasp when I see the massive hole in the ceiling, and the Randoms (minus Chad and Zora) peering down at us with buckets of who-knows-what in their hands.

"G-guys…" I say, keeping my eyes on the Randoms, "Um, I think I've found the problem."

The others follow my gaze and gasp collectively. As they do, the Randoms laugh and drop the content of the buckets onto our heads. The self-obsessed girls (Portlyn and Marta, cough) scream, trying to get the blue and green dust and goo out of their hair and skin. And just then, Chad and Zora run through the doors, along with a couple of cameramen, and smirk.

"Cast of Melody Falls…" Zora grins, "You've just been Celebrity Practical Joke'd!"

* * *

><p>"C'mon, Sonny, I said I was sorry!" Chad yells behind from behind me as I make my way to my dressing room. I've been putting on an act ever since Zora revealed the prank – I pretended to be nice and a good sport for the cameras, and then threw a hissy fit as soon as the cameras were turned off, storming down the halls. Chad is now following me, apologising, and I laugh.<p>

"Relax, Cooper, I'm not really mad at you." I say, and hear him sigh in relief, "I was just pretending so no-one got suspicious of my sudden niceness." I stop walking and turn around to talk to him, "Actually, I'm glad you did that prank. Perfect revenge. The Sonny Munroe is proud."

Chad laughs, "Well, that's great."

"So, Zora's the new host?" I say with a shudder.

"Yeah." Chad shrugs, "In the end, I wasn't up for it. Plus, Zora was born to prank people, and now she does it _and_ gets paid… living the dream, huh?"

I giggle, "Suppose so."

I take his warm hand in my sticky blue one, jumping a little when I feel an electric shock off his skin. Huh. Wonder what that was…

I pull away in shock, before smiling at him shyly. Chad chuckles, clearing his throat noisily. I feel something unexpected, something different… something new. It feels odd. It feels… kind of good.

It's gone as fast as it appeared, though. Chad looks back down the hall, clearing his throat and swaying from side-to-side twitchily. "I should go back so no-one gets suspicious." He says, and I nod.

"You go ahead." I say. He smiles, before running back down the hallway towards So Random, towards his friends. My cast-mates are coming the other way, and Portlyn and Marta glare at him for the damage done to their "looks". Skyler and Chastity keep their heads down and don't look at him, and Ferguson send him a look, but it isn't mean. He's almost showing… respect.

"Stupid Randoms…" Marta mumbles beaneath her breath, a pocket mirror in her hand as she tries to rub off the multi-colored paint. Portlyn follows her lead, pulling a face at her reflection, and I can't help but giggle silently as they pass. I give Chad one last thumbs up before turning and following my cast back to Stage 2.

**Well, that's that! I bet you, I will proof-read this again tomorrow. We shall see… if I do, I'll tell y'all :P**

**So, what did you guys thing? Review, pretty please?**

**Also, next chapter is gonna be the Prop House one (where SR lose the Prop House to MF) but I have no idea what to do for it. Anyone got any ideas? I'm thinking of passing that episode if I can't think of anything…**

**Review! :D**

_**Haha, hey there! Guess what? It's Sunday! Yup, Sunday, 11:39am. And I'm writing to say that I proof-read this again this morning, so if there are any mistakes, you guys can actually throw tomatoes at me :P**_

_**Okay, so I am going home soon. Well, in about two hours. I'm going out for lunch soon, then we'll come back home. It'll take me three hours (ish) to get home, and hopefully I will post this as soon as I get there!**_

_**LOL, just thought I'd let you guys who can be bothered to read the ANs know. Appreciated ;)**_

_**Remember to REVIEW! Please ;D And give me any ideas for the Prop House eppy if you have them!**_

_**~Amy x**_


	22. The Dramas' Revenge

**Um, ha-ha... hey. Don't hurt me, but I sort of haven't updated in a while. (Random people: WE KNOW!) Yeah... my bad. But hey, I had an excuse - Last few weeks of school were crazy busy, with my school opera thingy and my performing at the Senior Citizen's party and my everything else... and then, after school finished, I gave myself the ridiculous task of writing THREE Christmas-based stories (Go read them, if you haven't... even though it ain't Christmas anymore, exactly... *cries*). **

**But, now, I've finished all that, and I've finished this chapter too! So, here it is... hope you like it!**

**Special shout-out to channyfan83, who told me to get a move on this morning! I dunno if I'd have finished it for today without you, so here's your special post-Christmas Christmas gift, from me! Heehee, merry Christmas ;D **

**Also, a big I-still-miss-you shout-out to k'PeaceOutSuckas98, who I still miss sooooo much... I sure hope you come back soon, girl! We all miss you so much here! **

**And, to those of you who gave me ideas for this chap in your reviews... thanks. I don't know if I used them or not... lol ;)**

**Okay... so, enjoy this chapter (coz the A/N is long enough as it is), which is based on Tales From The Prop House. And yes, this is where a little drama starts to kick in again... enjoy :D**

**I don't own SWAC... or anything else that I may or may not mention apart from the story, dialogue and such. Yup, I didn't get what I wanted for Christmas... okay, that's a lie, but I didn't get SWAC.**

**Okay, onwards!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21 - The Dramas' Revenge<strong>

Sonny's POV

The day after the prank, I enter Melody Falls, hoping Marta and Portlyn will have finished complaining about it. They wouldn't shut up yesterday, seriously. I mean, it wasn't as hard as they made out to clean that stuff out of _my_ hair – I just washed it when I got home. No problem, whatso-_freaking_-ever. And those two were fussing and crying, throwing their toys out of the pram like a couple of babies.

Saddos.

Even _the_ Sonny Munroe, the one I have to _pretend_ to be, got tired of it. Yeah, their complaining got on my nerves and I lashed out at one point, backing the Randoms in a way, which could've been fatal to my secret friendship with Chad… but hey, the looks on their faces were so worth the potential bean-spilling moment about my friendship with a Random.

"Next time I see those good-for-nothing Random _losers, _they will be so dead, I swear…" I remember Marta saying while she and Portlyn glared into their hand mirrors at their gunk-covered hair.

Chastity lightly rolled her eyes, "Don't take it so seriously, Marta." She said kindly, yet firmly, "The Randoms were only messing around; probably getting back at us for our pranks the other day. Plus, they're just _Randoms_… they're hardly worth getting worked up over."

I mentally cheered for Chastity. _Why can't I be like that?_ I remember asking myself,_ Why can't I speak up for what I believe it, but still remain calm?_ Seriously, if I ever try to stick up for myself it involves some harsh words and, every now and again, some fist action.

"They're _losers…_" Portlyn spat out, applying lip gloss, "Seriously, I don't know why we put up with those minors…"

"They shouldn't even be here…" Marta said. This was when I began to ball my hands into fists and grit my teeth, "They're just a bunch of talentless no-hopers."

"Filth." Portlyn continued, brushing her hair.

"Pathetic wastes of space…"

I slammed my hands down on the table in front of them, fuming. Their eyes darted up at me, shock obvious in their faces. I gritted my teeth, trying to stop the words flooding out, but it wasn't that easy when they were bitching **(really sorry... hate that word) **about my best friend and his cast-mates; _his_ friends.

"Stop it, both of you." I growled. You're both being such… such _babies. _You're overreacting over a silly _prank. _Honestly, just… just grow _up_."

The reaction from everyone else after that was just priceless. Portlyn and Marta's eyes widened, their mouths dropping open. I imagined what would happen if flies would drift into the room at that moment and zoom into their mouths and choke them. Yeah, I know, a little drastic, but could you blame me? At that moment, I just hated them so much…

I looked over to Chastity and Skyler and Ferguson on the other side of the room, who had them same expression of total shock mirrored on their faces. Until when Chastity caught my eye, and she smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I couldn't help but smile a little, before giving the two Trouble Twins one last glare and leaving them, picking up my script and rehearsing lines with Chas as if nothing even happened.

* * *

><p>The next day though, it's obvious that, despite my words yesterday, the two of them are still on revenge path for what the Randoms did – even though they don't show it. Their smiles are wider than their faces, and they're so cheery it's a surprise that they haven't really been abducted by aliens, probed, cloned and replaced.<p>

But, I don't believe in aliens, so theory number one is therefore the obvious reason for their sudden "good behaviour". I've done this before – I know their game. They're trying to get on someone's good side… and considering how awkward everything was yesterday after my outburst, they're trying to get on _my _good side.

"Hey, Sonny dear!" Marta sings as she notices me walk into Stage 2, linking her arm through mine. It takes everything I have to refrain from whacking her upside the head.

"Is something wrong with you?" I ask, which just makes her laugh. Hmm, maybe I should do a double-check on this alien theory…

"Not at all, sweetie!" She coos, "I was just checking to see if we're cool, y'know, after that whole Random incident yesterday."

"I… I guess." I lie.

"I mean," She continues, "We're buds!" _Ha! _There's a joke if I ever heard one. "We shouldn't fight over the _Randoms! _I mean, you were all upset and overreacting, and maybe I said something that would upset the _Randoms… _but not you! So, I just wanted to tell you I forgive you…"

I blink. I think Marta just forgave me for _defending_ the Randoms… when I didn't even apologise.

"Hi-hi!" A grinning Portlyn links her arm through my free one, and I actually begin to feel a little unsafe. What if the aliens get me next…? "How are you, buddy?"

_You're not my buddy, you plastic freak. _"I'm fine." I lie. "Just peeved off at someone at the moment."

"The Randoms?" Marta butts in, before barging on and not letting me give my own opinion, "Me too, they're all just so annoying."

"But it's okay, though, because Marta and I are perfectly fine about it all, aren't we?" Portlyn says.

"We certainly are, Port!" Marta flashes a fake plastic grin. "We are totally over the prank, because we have a new meditation room to take our mind off it!"

"Yes, we do! Or, we will anyways…" Portlyn continues. Gosh, it's like they know what each other will say! Odd… "Everything is sorted, we just need the old inhabitants to move out and we'll be good to go!"

"So…" I say, getting my first word in for what felt like forever, "Where exactly is this meditation room?"

Portlyn hands me the studio blueprints on her make-up table we've reached, before the two of them flounce off together. I open the plans, and the red-pen circles the familiar room which is soon to be our new meditation room…

The four words labelling the room particularly catch my eye.

_Stage 3 – Prop House._

Oh… no.

* * *

><p>An hour or so later, I get a break from rehearsal, and I quickly walk towards So Random, hoping to bump into Chad so I can tell him about… the bad news.<p>

Well… I suppose I should've seen something like this coming. Portlyn and Marta were dying to get revenge on So Random, and, well, I guess taking their Prop House from them is the perfect revenge. I'm sure the Randoms are not gonna be happy about this… they love their little Prop House. We have nothing like that in the Falls, but So Random is less like a group of actors (who do _not_ get along all the time, might I add) and more like a family. They do all that sentimental stuff.

I find my friend and his cast members in the room in question (which makes me feel even worse). I bite my lip when I notice them all sat around the green-ish couch in the centre of the room, different emotions on their faces. But, each one of them is obviously upset about something.

Not wanting to cause any arguments or upsets, I slowly back out of the room, but stumble on a prop, causing each of their heads to snap over in my direction. I gulp.

Chad gets up, a smile tugs at the corners of his lips, but I can see in his eyes that everything is not well. He looks sad, partially angry as well. I begin to hope he's not angry at _me. _I watch the rest of the Randoms get up, follow his movements towards me. But they're not smiling, like he is. Tawni folds her arms and a scowl fixes on her lips, Zora is glaring at me in that scary way of hers, and Nico and Grady whisper to each other, glancing at me every so often. It makes me feel awkward, but I have bigger problems right now than those four.

"Hey, Sonny." Chad says. I grit my teeth… why does Chad have to be so darn sweet? Why can't he just be of average cuteness? That would make telling him such bad news so much easier, and by the look in his – and all of their – eyes, they've already had enough bad news today. Hmm, maybe they've already heard what I have to say?

"Hi." I reply, trying to keep my expression flat. I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't care… the Randoms will get suspicious… "Why the long faces?"

Tawni scowls, "Oh, _you_ should know." She spits out, her teeth gritted together.

Chad sighs, speaking less angrily, "We just got the news that your cast is gonna get out Prop House."

_Crap_. They have been told.

"Yeah… I heard about that." I bite my lip, "Sorry to hear it."

Tawni laughs without humor, "Please! Spare us _that_ act."

I raise my eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Acting like you're innocent in all this!" She growls, her eyes flashing with anger, "I mean, do you _honestly _expect us to believe that you had no part in taking our Prop House from us?"

My mouth drops open. I honestly just can't believe Tawni _cares _so much. Or maybe she's just trying to pick a fight with me.

I raise my hands to say that I come in peace, "Tawni, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." I state calmly, "I had no part in the whole thing – I literally only found out an hour ago!"

She scoffs, "Please! Like I'm gonna believe that _crap._"

I watch Chad out of the corner of my eye. His eyes dash towards me, and he sighs, closing them. I silently pray that he's on my side, that he believes that I have nothing to do with this – I'm not being nice for Tawni, I'm being nice for Chad and Chad _only._

I'm happy to hear what he says next.

"Tawni." Chad turns to his cast-mate, "C'mon, cut her some slack, we don't know that-"

Chad puts his arm on her shoulder, but she shoves it off crossly. The small piece of anger in her eyes builds to a storm. Now she's furious. "Chad, don't talk crap!" She yells, "It's obviously Little Miss _Princess_ here has done this, just to get revenge on our little prank from yesterday!"

"Actually," I pipe up, my voice coming out rather quiet, shy, _not_ me, "it was Portlyn and Marta, doing it for that same reason. I swear I had nothing to do with it."

I watch the fire in Tawni's eyes fade. She looks towards Chad, who refuses to meet her eyes. He's looking down. He doesn't seem angry at me, he doesn't seem to agree with Tawni. He just looks… disappointed. Upset. It worries me a little.

I look back to Tawni, whose eyes are darting from me to Chad and back again, before she shuts down completely.

"Fine." She spits, her voice cracking a little, "If you want to believe _her, _Chad, go ahead. Trust her. Back her up. Become her best friend, for all I care!" She laughs emotionlessly, glaring at me with hurt in her usually cool, blue eyes, "You'll just end up _hurt._"

And with that, she storms out of the room, not looking back.

And that leaves me to be confronted with a lot of disapproving faces.

Chad's POV

We're all hanging out in the Prop House, when Marshall walks in with a solemn face and tells us that we have to leave the Prop House because it no longer belongs to us.

"What?" Nico calls out. "Why?"

"Apparently, the Melody Falls cast bought it from you…" Marshall tells us, sighing. "Sorry to have to be the one who told you this."

My heart sinks as I watch the disappointed looks on my friends' faces. I know how they feel. The Prop House… it's special to all of us. It's a big part of So Random – where we get our inspiration, where all the best sketches are written. It's like the heart and soul of So Random… and we're losing it to The Falls? That makes it worse. The rivalry will be even more intense, and Sonny and I will have to be even more careful with our friendship.

Marshall leaves, apologising once more after telling us that there was nothing he could do. Tawni stares at the back of his head, burning a hole in it, before turning to us. A menacing scowl rests on her lips.

To be honest, I wouldn't expect such a sour reaction from Tawni. Surely she isn't into all the sentimental stuff? Surely she won't care? Well, apparently she does.

"Stupid drama snobs…" She mumbles. Of course… well, this explains everything. She's only mad at the Drama kids. She doesn't say anything after that; she just sits there. I can see she's thinking something through in her head. Everyone else stays silent, their eyes drifting from one prop to another, Zora has tears in her eyes. Awh, for an odd girl, it's nice to see she gets emotional. She even clings on to my leg, hugging it from where she's sat on the floor. I stroke her hair comfortingly, like a big brother would, scanning the room myself.

It's gonna be hard leaving here…

Just at that moment, I hear a stumble coming from the doorway, and I turn to see none other than Sonny Munroe. She winces, whether it's from pain or embarrassment I'm not sure, but I smile nonetheless. It's nice to see her face when the mood in here is so low. Then I remember why we're losing the Prop House – Melody Falls bought it from us. Surely… surely it wasn't Sonny's plan? She wouldn't do that, I'm sure.

I greet my friend, trying to smile, but the dark cloud that's been hanging over the room for the last few minutes is still suspended over me, making it hard for the smile to not look forced.

"Hey, Sonny." I greet her.

"Hi." She replies, her expression unfriendly, her voice flat. I begin to worry. Then I remember who she is, who I am, where we are, who we're with. Why does she have that affect on me? Why do I forget everything around her, like some fool in love?

N-not that I am in love.

"Why the long faces?" She asks, snapping me out of my daydream.

I hear Tawni growl behind me, "Oh, _you _should know." She says. I look at her, and her eyes are accusing. I decide to say something before someone begins a catfight.

"We just got the news that our cast is gonna get our Prop House." I say.

I watch as Sonny's face falls and she tenses up. "Yeah… I heard about that." She says, trying to sound casual. It doesn't work as her voice cracks and she bites her lip. "Sorry to hear it."

A laugh comes from behind me, a short laugh that sounds resentful and sarcastic, "Please!" Tawni says, "Spare us _that_ act."

I watch as Sonny raises an eyebrow innocently, "What do you mean?"

Oh no… this isn't going to end well…

"Acting like you're innocent in all this!" This is when I notice how angry Tawni is. She has such a rivalry against Sonny, after their awful past… well, now they can't be in a room together without some sort of argument springing up. "I mean, do you _honestly _expect us to believe that you had no part in taking our Prop House from us?" Tawni continues to yell at Sonny, who stands there with her jaw dropped to the ground. I feel sorry for her; she's just being attacked by Tawni's accusing words, fiery eyes, and I don't believe that Sonny would do this. So she's our rival, so what? I know a different side to Sonny – and I know she wouldn't do this.

Of course, Tawni doesn't know that side of Sonny Munroe. The only side she knows is the unkind ex-best friend who mutually hates her guts. That side would do anything to make Tawni angry or upset, so I suppose this accusation is very logical in Tawni's mind.

Sonny tries hard to clear her name though. She raises her arms, sighing, "Tawni, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." She says, trying to stay as calm as possibly, "I had no part in the whole thing – I literally only found out an hour ago!"

Tawni exhales and inhales hurriedly, before scoffing, "Please!" She cries out, "Like I'm gonna believe that _crap._"

I watch the scene unfolding in front of me. Sonny seems hurt, troubled; Tawni is fuming, her fists clenched and her eyes still burning. The other Randoms are watching, shock and worry on their faces. I watch Sonny's eyes dart towards me, and she looks at me as if she's begging for help, and realise that I have to do something to try and calm Tawni down.

"Tawni. C'mon, cut her some slack, we don't know that- " I begin, putting a friendly arm on her shoulder. She pushes it off, turning her accusing eyes to me. She looks furious at me, like I'm a traitor. Well, in her eyes, I probably am right now.

"Chad, don't talk crap!" She screams at me, looking slightly psychotic. "It's obvious Little Miss _Princess_ here has done this, just to get revenge for our little prank yesterday!"

"Actually," Sonny's voice sounds shy, cracking a little from nerves. This is the first time I've seen Sonny like this… so nervous to defend herself, "it was Portlyn and Marta, doing it for that same reason. I swear I had nothing to do with it."

Tawni stops exhaling then. She calms a little, the storm dies down in her eyes, but her fists are still clenched. She looks at Sonny, who is embarrassed, nervous. Her eyes then turn to me, and I bite my lip and put my head down. I'm too much of a coward to meet her eyes. I'm worried she'll see something, between me and Sonny.

That can't happen.

"Fine." Tawni says after a while. She sounds like she could cry. She sounds _betrayed._ "If you believe _her, _Chad, go ahead. Trust her. Back her up. Become her best friend, for all I care!"

I wince at that bit.

"You'll just end up _hurt_."

And then she leaves without another word.

Oops.

Tawni's POV

I watch as Sonny tries to convince us all that she's innocent in ripping the Prop House away from us. I mean, I don't care – I shouldn't care – that a stupid room is being taken from us. But the fact it's being taken by the _Dramas… _that is what really got to me. And now, Sonny has the _nerve _to come here and tell us that she had nothing to do with it? _HA_! What a freakin' _liar_. I don't believe her _one bit._

"Tawni, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about!" She says. I don't know how she can stay so calm when I want to rip her head off. "I had no part in the whole thing – I literally only found out an hour ago!"

My breathing increases and I just want to slap her. "Please! Like I'm gonna believe that _crap!_"

I watch as she frowns, upset, hurt, but I don't believe her. She's a famous drama actress, for crying out loud.

But she's not a good one.

I can see right through her.

"Tawni, c'mon," A careful voice comes from my side, the owner resting his arm on my shoulder comfortingly. It actually makes everything worse, "cut her some slack, we don't know that-"

Chad tries to calm me, stop me, and that makes me furious. He's standing up for Sonny, the _enemy_, over me_?_ His cast-mate? His _friend? _The one who _cares_ about him… the one who truly _likes_ him? I have to refrain from yelling some sort of profanities at him, and shove his arm off me.

"Chad, don't talk crap!" I shout. He frowns, which would normally make me feel awful. But right now, I just want to hurt him for being such a _traitor. _"It's obvious Little Miss _Princess_ here has done this, just to get revenge for our little prank yesterday!"

"Actually," Sonny dares to open her mouth and let words come out, which makes me angrier, "it was Portlyn and Marta, doing it for that same reason. I swear I had nothing to do with it."

I can't believe what I'm hearing, seeing. Sonny is trying to convince me she had nothing to do with it. Chad is looking at her… sympathetically. Trustingly. It seems as if there's something between them… but I can't put my finger on it…

And then, when Chad refuses to meet my eyes, I know my suspicions were correct.

He's on her side.

"Fine." I say, my voice cracking. I close my eyes, trying to stop myself from crying because I'm Tawni Hart and I don't _cry _at these things. "If you believe _her_, Chad, go ahead. Trust her. Back her up. Become her best friend, for all I care!" I add the last bit, from experience, "You'll just end up hurt."

I leave the room as fast as I can, and I don't turn back.

I just feel so… so betrayed. Chad is my cast-mate… I know we seem to have hit a rough patch, I know he doesn't feel for me what I… _feel_… for him… but he's my friend. He's a forgiving guy… surely he'd pick my side over his worst enemy's?

Well… apparently not.

I still have… kind of… feelings for Chad. Who wouldn't? He's kind, he's sweet, he's funny, he's irresistibly cute… but he obviously doesn't feel like that for me, or at least, he doesn't show that he does. And it's odd… he's the first guy I've ever liked who hasn't fallen down at my feet. Or we could say he's the first guy I've ever liked, period. In _this_ way, anyhow.

But, considering what he was doing back in the Prop House – the looks he was giving Sonny, the way he couldn't meet my eyes – something's going on between them. I'm certain.

And I want to know _what._

* * *

><p>It's a few hours later when Chad dares to come to see me. He knocks on the door to my dressing room, timidly.<p>

"Tawni?" He says softly. "Can I please come in? I need to talk to you…"

I wipe the lone tear from my face, just in case he decides to burst in with no permission.

"About what?" I ask, sounding harsh. I feel bad, but then remember that Tawni Hart doesn't feel bad and stare intensely into my mirror.

"About, um…" Chad stumbles on his words, "About earlier, in the Prop House, with Sonny."

I scoff, "You two best friends yet?"

He sighs, like he doesn't want to talk about it. "Don't worry about it, okay? We have a plan."

I decide to not ask who "we" is, and open the door, and hardly acknowledging his presence, I take a seat back in front of my vanity. I watch him in the reflection of the mirror – he takes a seat on the couch closest to me. He scans the room, his face indicating that he's thinking of what to say. Hard.

"Um, Tawni, I'm really sorry about taking sides earlier." He blurts out, "It's just that I didn't, um, think it was right that you just… accuse Sonny."

"You think she was innocent?" I spit, searching for some Coco Moco Cocoa in my make-up bag on the desk.

"I don't know." He says, "But it's not right to just… accuse someone without evidence."

I roll my eyes, "This isn't a court, Chad, it's a studio. And Sonny is our _rival_ in this studio. It was obvious that if anyone would do such a thing, it would be _her_. I mean, after everything she's done to me-"

"Just because you and Sonny had a bad past doesn't mean she's always looking for revenge on you, Tawni." Chad interrupts. He sounds angry, but he cools down. He takes a couple of deep breaths, and then begins to talk again, slightly calmer. "I talked to Sonny, after the prank the other day. She wasn't really mad; she was just acting up for the cameras. She calmed down afterwards. What I'm saying is, you can't accuse her of taking our Prop House, and make up an alibi… I don't think she'd do it."

"Well, I disagree." I say, crossing my arms.

Chad sighs, exasperated. "Tawni." He says. I decide to take the five-year-old method and give him the silent treatment. "Tawni?" I keep my mouth shut. He exhales, slowly. "Tawni, we have a plan to get the Prop House back. We're going to move in to the room above it and scare the Dramas off. And Sonny's gonna help – she's on our side."

I laugh humourlessly, "You're falling for it. Soon, you'll see Chad. She _will_ hurt you."

"So I take it you're not gonna help?" Chad groans. I stay quiet. He exhales again, tired before getting up and walking to the door. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob. "Sonny's a good person, Tawni." He says, "She may not show her good side all the time, but she does _have_ a good side. She's my enemy, sure… but that doesn't mean I _have_ to hate her. Or that I _have_ to point a finger to her whenever something is at fault." He sighs, "I'll see you later, Tawn."

He leaves, without another backwards glance.

Chad's POV

I had to talk to Tawni, just to clear the air. I felt bad about earlier – but I had to side with Sonny over Tawni. I know Sonny… she wouldn't do something so mean. She wouldn't take such an important room to us away from us. She's not like that.

Of course… the side Tawni knows is exactly like that, and so that's why she was pointing the finger at her. She hates her. I know she does. It's not hard to see.

I just wish they could get along. I like Tawni, but because she hates Sonny, it's hard to like her considering Sonny is such a good friend. Why is it so hard for these two to let bygones be bygones and make up? Maybe, if they did, this rivalry would be one step closer to being solved.

Our plan is set. Sonny invites the Dramas into the Prop House, which is set up as their new meditation room. Zora cuts a hole in the roof, above their heads, and somehow, we end up chasing them out. **(I won't write that bit. This chapter is too long as it is… just imagine the real episode. But with Portlyn or Marta running out coz of the rat) **

After they've all left, Sonny comes out of where she was hiding. Sonny was the first one to "run off"; she actually just hid behind the door outside. She high-fives us each with a grin, which makes me smile, because even if Tawni can't get along with Sonny, at least the others can. Well, at least get along for this little payback plan. I guess Randoms and Sonny have something in common.

They both hate the Dramas.

"Well, Randoms, it's been a pleasure," Sonny says after she high-fives Grady, her voice dripping with fake sarcasm, "but I'd best be gone. See you round."

Sonny walks out, and I leave the room too, exiting a different way but still meeting up with Sonny. I need to talk to her, so I asked her to meet me here. Surely, no-one would find us here?

"Thanks again for the help, Sonny." I say, and she smiles.

"No problem." She shrugs, "Anything for my bessie mate."

I laugh, "You're awesome."

"I know!" She flicks her hair, pretending to be bigheaded, before hugging me lightly. She pulls away, twirling a strand of her nervously around her finger. "I guess I'd best be getting back to my cast." She says after a few seconds silence.

"Okay, I'll call you later." I say after her.

She doesn't reply.

I turn around, to face a smiling female figure.

"Oh, hey, Tawni." I smile nervously.

Oh, darn.

Tawni's POV

After a while, I finally decide to stop being, well, _me,_ and go back to see if Chad's little "plan" had got us the Prop House back. Approaching the Prop House, I heard two familiar voices.

"Thanks again for the help, Sonny." Chad says. _Sonny? _What's he doing with her?

"No problem." Sonny says. Oh, she must've helped with the plan. Well… then maybe she _didn't _originally take the Prop House from us… ugh. "Anything for my bessie mate." _Bessie mate?_

Chad laughs his sweet laugh, "You're awesome."

"I know!" I poke my head around the door to see the two of them hugging – _hugging! _– before Sonny pulls away nervously. I take satisfaction in her discomfort. "I guess I'd best be getting back to my cast." She says with a smile.

"Okay, I'll call you later." He replies to her retreating figure, who doesn't reply. I bite my tongue to stop myself from telling the two of them off. _Bessie mate? Call you later? _There's only one explanation.

It's too late. Sonny's already tricked Chad.

_OUR_ Chad.

I step out into the hallway that he's standing in, and he turns around to walk my way, and pauses when he sees me. He smiles nervously, caught in the act, like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"Oh, hey Tawni." He says, trying to act dumb. Oh, no, you don't. I saw it _all. _I decide to play dumb too, though – I'd grill him about this later.

"Who were you talking to, Chad?" I say sweetly, "I heard voices."

"Oh…" He turns in the direction Sonny left, before turning back to me with an innocent smile. "Just Sonny… I was thanking her for her help on the plan."

"Uh-huh…" I raise an eyebrow, "Did it work?"

"It did!" He grins, as if he thinks he's safe. _Ha, fat chance, traitor. _"We've got the Prop House back, everything's back to normal!"

I nod, silently pleased with the news. I still felt like screaming at Chad for being friends, maybe best friends, with _her. _"Alright…" I say, "Well, I guess we should get to rehearsal."

"Yeah." Chad looks relieved, and walks ahead of me towards the stage. I stare into the back of his head, holding back from telling him that I know his little secret.

I'll save it for another day. When I need it.

All I know is, Chad Dylan Cooper, our friendly, bumbling new boy, is friends with Sonny Munroe, our worse enemy.

And, that I can't let them be.

No, they cannot be friends. If we lose Chad to Sonny, our new acquired good ratings will be gone.

And along with them, the Chad Dylan Cooper that everyone loves.

I can't let that happen.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooh, the plot thickens! <strong>

**So, what do you think Tawni will do? Keep the secret? Confront Sonny or Chad? Tell everybody? To be honest, I don't exactly know myself yet...**

**And what about Sonny and Chad? What will they do when - and if - they find out Tawni knows?**

**Review with your ideas! And praise/critisism. I didn't get many reviews last chapter... I'm not one to usually do this, but can I have at least 10 reviews before I update? I'm not aiming overly high... so please review? It makes me smile :)**

**Love you all! Hope you loved the chapter!**

**~Amy x**


	23. Hidden Secrets

**A/N: Heheh, hi, it's me. Remember? That author who posted a new story a few days ago, went on a mad plot-bunny inspiration-madness spree, and then realised she _did _have other stories... yeah, that's me. Amy. Hi. Remember me? Yeeahh... sorry about that.**

**Anyway, um, you guys! You are sooo amazing - like *holds out hands reeeeeally wide* This much :D I asked for, what, 10 reviews? I got 15. Love. Every. Single. One. Of. You. Well, there was one... but I won't rant about it until after the chapter ;D And heyyyy - look at that! ^ Up there! Review count is over 300, dudes! :D**

**LaLaLaLaLaAlice: What an awesome review! I love your reviews... Please keep 'em comin'!**

**This chapter is dedicated to BeingHannah923. Just coz I love her. Hiii, sissy! *waves* :D**

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance. I own Quite The Opposite... This story right here :) Yup. Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22 - Hidden Secrets<strong>

Chad's POV

Tawni Hart is avoiding me.

I don't know why, but she is.

After our short conversation in the hallway yesterday, she's been hardly speaking to me. She does glare at me, though. Every few minutes, I peer over from texting Sonny or playing a video game with Nico and Grady or writing sketches with all the cast… and every time, she's glaring at me in a _very _disturbing way. Like that way that says _I know your secret. _My… secret? Um… I don't have any secrets, Oh, apart from maybe that one… the only possible secret she could have figured out is…

"Hey, Chad!" She calls over from the other side of the Prop House, with those accusing eyes, "How's your _best friend_?" She practically spits out the last two words, like having a best friend is a crime.

"Um… she's fine." I say. Whoops.

"_She_?" Nico says, turning to face me along with Grady. Even Zora looks up from her thingamajig she's working on for some kind of prank. I bite my lip, before trying to look strong, brave. It's a puny attempt; probably doesn't work.

"Y-yeah… I can have a girl friend, can't I?"

"A _girlfriend?_" Grady's eyes widen, "You have a _girlfriend _and you didn't even tell us?"

I glance over to Tawni, who looks very satisfied with how badly this is turning out for me. I am so gonna get her later… where's Zora's cold-cut catapult when I need it…? I turn back to Grady and Nico and sigh.

"She's just a friend." I say carefully, but they just start elbowing each other.

"That's what they all say." Nico smirks. I groan quietly and hold up my hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay," I say, "She's more than a friend." The two boys gasp, and they lean in close like two gossipy teenage girls, I then finish with a sneer, "She's a _great _friend. A _best _friend."

They groan, mumbling under their breaths. But I don't care. I'm back on safe grounds, for now… although, Tawni's still staring at me.

A few minutes later, when Nico, Grady and Zora leave to the cafeteria at lunch, I'm about to follow them out when she stops me, dragging me back with a perfectly manicured hand.

"Nice cover, back there…" She whispers scarily into my ear. I gulp loudly. "Looks like I'm gonna have to try harder to _expose _you…"

Before I can protest, she walks off, stalking towards the cafeteria. I decide it's probably not the best idea to follow her and instead make my way to Melody Falls. Sonny should be finishing for lunch any minute now…

I stride on to the set of Melody Falls… which isn't my best idea yet, considering I was _wrong _about the lunch thing, because when I walk in they're _still _doing a scene. Luckily it's a big dramatic arguing scene, involving most of the cast. Including Sonny, of course… I think they're arguing about Melody's best friend, Chloe…

I suddenly feel a tap on my back and I jump, turning to see the girl who plays Chloe_, _Chastity. She's looking at me with a confused expression, but she's not mad to see me. She looks kind of welcoming…

"Hi, Chad." She says softly. "What are you doing here?"

Oh… busted. Obviously, she notices the shock and worry on my face, because then she laughs. Quietly, though, so as not to disrupt the filming.

"You're here for Sonny, I know." She drops her voice level. "I've known for a long time, about you guys."

I wince.

"Don't worry." She smiles again, "I won't tell anyone about your little secret relationship…"

I blink, "Relationship?" I let out a small laugh, but it sounds forced. I hope Chastity didn't pick that up… "That's…" My eyes turn to watch Sonny. She's so pretty… no, wait, no, she's not. Coz she's my friend. Um… "…that's ridiculous…" Chastity giggles like a little girl, forcing me to roll my eyes, "Chastity, it's not like that. We're friends, nothing more."

Chastity nods understandingly, "Okay." She says, "I wonder how long you'll continue to believe _that_…" I go to protest, but she continues talking before I can, "They're just finishing up this scene, and then we'll be in the cafeteria. You should go down there and wait for Sonny, so that no-one sees you here."

I thank Chastity quietly, leaving out the door. And so, ignoring my better judgment to avoid Tawni for as long as humanly possible, I make my way to the cafeteria.

Getting my ick-on-a-plate from Bertha **(Bertha? Cafeteria lady's name? I can't remember…)**, I keep well away from my cast, who are all staring at me like I'm an alien to them. _What did I do wrong…? _is all that goes through my brain while I pick a lonely corner table near the entrance, on the opposite side of the room. They won't stop glaring at me though, even after I sit down, and I silently debate whether to sit at the Drama's table, just to get on their nerves.

…Na, not my best idea. So I just sit alone, with my plate of Incredible Moving Ick, watching two separate pieces crawl across the plate and betting which one will win. No joke, I swear this food is either not dead yet, or it's come back from the dead to strike its revenge on human kind.

Scary.

After a few minutes, I begin to feel sick – the smell of my undead-food is making me nauseous, so I sneak to the trash can to dump it and make a mental note to leave home tomorrow with a sandwich or something, before making my way back to my lonely table and getting out my phone, searching random stuff on the browser to take my mind off everything. The battery is low though, so I make the mistake of turning it off and letting my mind wander back to Chastity's words.

"_Okay. I wonder how long you'll continue to_ _believe _that_…" _What the heck did that _mean_? Why is Chastity so obsessed with this idea that Sonny and I might be dating? And, if she thinks this, are there maybe other people who do too? Maybe… maybe that's what Tawni's been thinking this whole time!

Ooh… crap.

I peer back over a couple of people's shoulders (the cafeteria's a lot busier now than it was) to look at Tawni, just for a second… and, as if I didn't already guess it, she's looking at me. I drop my eyes immediately, hoping that she didn't see me looking at her. I then turn my head to the cafeteria entrance, wordlessly begging for the Falls' cast to show up.

Sonny walks through the door, as if she heard my begging, followed by her co-stars, and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding as Tawni's threatening gaze darts from me to them. My cast leave the room, and Nico tells me they're leaving to hang out in the Prop House before rehearsals. I tell him I'll be there for when rehearsals start, and that I have to call a friend when he asks why. Okay, so I'm lying, but I can't tell him the truth, or even a half-truth… he'd get suspicious. And two suspicious cast-mates are not what I need. One is bad enough, especially that _particular _one.

I watch Sonny and her cast get their lunch and sit at their table, before Sonny peers over at me. She bites her lip, and I beckon her over with a finger, looking down at my food so that I don't cause suspicion. I watch from under my eyelashes as Sonny excuses herself, gets up, and walks to the drinks machine, getting herself a Coke. The only one of her cast who seems to care is Chastity, whose eyes follow her until she reaches the drinks machine. She then turn suddenly to me, and I look straight down, hoping she didn't notice me watching her. I look up, keeping my expression flat, but luckily, she is now talking to Portlyn. Phew… she was making me feel really uncomfortable… just that glare; accusing, but also kind of mocking, meddling…

"Hey."

A small voice stops my scary thoughts, and I snap my head up to see Sonny, smiling at me shyly.

"Hi." I reply. She eyes the chair opposite me, and I gesture my hand to it, signalling her to sit down. She takes a seat, her index her finger circling around the rim of her paper cup. We sit in a silence for a few minutes, as I try to think of something to say. All I can focus on is the crooked smile on Chastity's face as her eyes meet mine.

She can tell I'm uncomfortable, can't she? She can tell that what she said earlier about me and Sonny "being in a relationship" has made sitting near the girl totally awkward for me. It's just… it's not _right_. Something just… doesn't feel right. And I feel totally stupid for it – Sonny's my friend, and I know that… so what the heck is up with all these awkward feelings?

Ugh.

"Chad." Sonny finally says. I look up from gazing at my feet, leaning forward in my chair as she takes a sip of her Coke, her expression giving off the sense that she is thinking. Hard. She puts the cup down and sighs. "Are you okay?"

_Seriously? That's all she was gonna say? _I grit my teeth. "I'm fine." I spit out. Sonny doesn't seem convinced.

"Are you sure?" She says.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

She exhales, smiling innocently and holding up a hand. "Well, let's see…" She says, and begins counting on her fingers, "You're on your own – no Randoms in sight; you haven't said anything unless I've prompted since I got here; you look all sad and uncomfortable… all this adds up to not-normal Chad behaviour. So, I'm just guessing – something's up." Curse her. How can she read me that well when we've known each other for three months tops? Curse her. "So…" She says, leaning across the table, "c'mon, tell me what's up."

I then try to convince myself that pretending she isn't there will mean she'll just go away. I fold my arms and pout childishly, but she is relentless and just stares me down. Like I said – _curse_ her.

"So…?" She says after a few seconds. I realise she's not gonna let it go.

"I'm just not in the best of moods…" I growl.

"Oh, coz of Chastity?" She asks. _Wait… what? _If she knows about what Chastity said to me… "I saw her talking to you, and you walking out… did she say anything to annoy you?"

I put on a smile. "No!" _Yes. _

Sonny exhales, smiling smugly. She's caught me out. "_What _did she say?"

"Nothing!" _Something. A _big _something. _

She shrugs, "Alright, fine. Was it… one of the Randoms? Is that why you're not with them now, coz one of them bugged you? Or all of them? Coz listen to me, Chad, you could get much better friends than them…"

I suddenly remember Tawni's critical glare, when she was staring at me like I'd done something awful. What she was saying to me… maybe I should tell Sonny about that?

…No. She'd just yell at her. I don't need those two to fight _again. _

But then… I could tell her that I think some people are getting suspicious… just so she knows to play it safer than we have been… that would be okay, right? No fights (or at least, real fights), no lies, no weird feelings…

"Actually…" I say to Sonny. Her eyes light up, and she leans closer, eager. "There has been a bit of a problem. You see, I think a couple of people we know have been getting suspicious about our… _friendship_." The word feels so weird, coming off my tongue. So fake. _Thanks a lot Chastity…_

Sonny's eyes widen. "Who?"

"I don't know…" I say, "Chastity, Tawni…"

"Chastity already knows; I'm sure she's known for ages…" Sonny says. It doesn't sound like something she meant to say aloud – more like just a thought. She looks up at me, smiling, and her finger circling the cup rim again. "And as for Tawni… well, who cares about her?"

"I do." I say. Wait… that didn't sound right. It sounded kind of defensive. "She's my friend, like it or not. And, she is also friends with all my other cast-members, who are also my friends. If she tells them… if she reveals anything… my cast will be so mad…"

"And there's no way they'd be happy with us." Sonny breathes. The word "us" sounds strangely satisfying…

"Exactly." I say, "So, I was thinking, maybe, we should… y'know? Turn up the defence mechanisms…"

Suddenly, Sonny stands up, slamming her cup down on the table and screaming something at me. "Jeez!" She yells, "I'm only trying to be nice to you! But no, you just can't seem to take it, you… you pathetic little Random_ loser!_"

Some eyes snap round to watch us, keen to see our fight. My heart hammers on my chest, and my throat feels sore. "Wha-" But when I see the look on her face – the look in her eye… she's playing, she's hoping I'll catch on. I get up myself, slamming my fists on the table.

"Oh, well, look at you, Miss Perfect!" I shout, "Being nice! Never thought I'd _see _the day!"

She gasps. Every eye seems to be on us now, including the eyes of the Falls kids. Successful, so far then. "I'm trying something _new_!" She yells, "I saw you over here all alone, and so I came over…and if you can't handle it, then why should I flippin' _bother_?"

"Just _don't!_" I scowl, trying to look more miffed than upset. If anyone thinks that I'm upset… that'll make it worse… "Your version of _tough love _is not what I need right now… Just stay as your normal bigheaded diva-face self!"

The twinkle in Sonny's eye then is worrying. She picks up her half-full Coke cup, growling, and chucks the contents my way, staining my gray shirt. She then groans, flips her hair dramatically, and storms out of the cafeteria. I ignore the eyes on me, dabbing my shirt with a few napkins that I pick up from the condiments table, groaning. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I exhale deeply and take it out.

_**1 Text Message**_

_**From: Allison**_

_**Um… sorry about that. Heat of the moment… :3 Oh well… forgive me? :)**_

I chuckle, aware of a couple of pairs of eyes who turn on me from the Falls' table.

_**To: Allison**_

_**It's okay… no harm done. It worked pretty well ;) Ooh, but you're buying me a new shirt! ) **_

A few minutes later, my phone vibrates again.

_**From: Allison**_

_**Alrighty… will do :) We'll go shirt shopping later… what do ya think?**_

Oh no…

_**To: Allison**_

_**We can't do that… if people see us…**_

Not that I'd tell Sonny, but _especially_ since Tawni said that she's going shopping tonight… she'll see us. Then we'll be dead… my phone beeps again.

_**2 Text Messages**_

_**From: Allison**_

_**I get it… :( Oh well, I'll just get u 1 mah-self :P Hope u like pink!**_

_**From: Nico**_

_**Rehearsals r startin in 5.**_

I reply to each speedily, so as not to be late…

_**To: Allison**_

_**Lol. Great. I gotta go for rehearsals… bye. **_

_**To: Nico**_

_**I'll be there in a min… don't wait for me.**_

I then turn my phone off and make my way to So Random.

That word that Chastity said still haunts me…

_Relationship…_

No way…

Sonny's POV

"If you even _dare _to break my best friend's heart, Devon, I swear, I'll…"

"You'll do what?" Skyler, who plays Devon, gives me that evil smirk, while my "crush" Trevor holds my hand to pull me back from potentially attacking Devon. In this episode, Penelope, Melody's half-sister, has got Devon (who likes Melody) to "date" Melody's best friend, Chloe. Yup… dramatic. And confusing. But it's okay… at least it's only acting… even though my real life is probably more dramatic than the Falls – and that's saying something. I scowl at Skyler, the smirk on his smug little face grows.

"Well?" He asks, mockingly. "I'm waiting."

I tug myself free from Ferguson's (Trevor's) grip and glare menacingly at Skyler. "If you dare to break her heart… I can't be accountable for my actions."

He bursts out laughing, obviously not taking Melody seriously. "You'd fight me?" He laughs, "Coz, I can't hit a girl."

"Aw, that's a shame." I chuckle coldly, a false smile on my face, before it breaks and I scowl again, snarling at him, "Coz I'm not afraid to hit a _guy_."

Devon sneers – he looks more amused than scared – "Scary!" He laughs sarcastically, "I'm out of here before the hounds are released…"

I clench my fists, fuming as he strides proudly away, whistling to himself. I feel Trevor put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly, but before I can say anything, I hear a giggle off-stage, and turn my head to see Chastity talking to… Chad? What's he doing here?

My sweet friend and my overly-sweet cast-mate, talking – Chad looks aggravated, Chastity looks like she's enjoying it. Why that little…

"Melody? Melody? …_Sonny_?"

"Huh?"

I snap my head around to see Ferguson rolling his eyes.

"You back with us?" He asks. I turn back, once more, to see Chad and Chastity… but Chad has left. I hope Chas didn't miff him off…

I turn back to Ferguson and shoot him a mile-long smile, "Yup!" I say perkily, and the director calls action for us to continue with the scene.

* * *

><p>Lunch comes along soon after, and my cast herds in behind me. I scan the cafeteria – the Randoms are at their usual table… minus one. Minus <em>Chad<em>.

Oh no… did Chastity really annoy him earlier? Or has one of the Randoms got to him?

Tawni is glaring at me, and so, try as I may, I can't stop myself from glaring straight back at her. The Randoms get up, and the little Random has to practically drag Tawni away from me, before Nico calls over to Chad (_Chad_?) that they are leaving. I look over to Chad, who's sat on his own at a table in the corner of the room. He smiles, looking kind of sad, telling Nico he'll be there later. I force myself away from watching my friend and make my way to get lunch.

After sitting down, I get twitchy and cannot keep my eyes off Chad anymore. I peer up at him over my lobster, and he's looking right at me. The moment his eyes meet mine, he looks down immediately, nervous. He lifts a finger and beckons me over. I gaze around to each face on the table – they don't seem to have noticed anything, they're just all talking and eating – and so I excuse myself, taking a detour to the drinks machine, hoping their eyes aren't following me. Chastity is watching me… then she turns to Chad. I have to stop myself from going over there and slapping her. Why can't she just leave him alone? He's obviously peeved at something…

After I am confident that Chastity is minding her _own _business, I make my way, unnoticed, to the little corner table Chad's sat at. His eyes are set in a fixed glower, his mouth a straight scowl. I've never seen him so… hostile. But something in his eyes gives the anger a hint of hidden confusion, a conflict inside his head…

Something's bugging the guy. I have to talk to him.

"Hey." Nervous, and hoping to not upset him any further, my voice comes out shy. It sounds alien to my ears. He looks up – he didn't even hear me approach.

"Hi." He replies simply. He doesn't say anything else. I begin to worry, and try to convince myself that sitting right opposite my secret friend right now _wouldn't _be suicide. Chad gestures for me to sit, and, hesitant, I take the seat, placing my soda down on the table in front of me and fiddling uninterestedly with it. I silently hope that Chad will begin to talk, but his eyes are set on the table I was sat at before, until he begins to stare down at his feet like they've betrayed him; that same scowl fixed on his usually happy, puppy-dog cute face.

…Um, yeah.

After a few seconds of just waiting for a conversation to begin, I get bored. "Chad." I say. He seems to snap out of his odd depression. Just about. He leans closer to me, his blue eyes curious, confused. I take a deep breath and let it out, "Are you okay?"

The flash of anger in his eyes is alarming. "I'm fine." He growls. He sounds fake. He sounds… in a bad place. Step one of what I went through that led me to be who I am today – being in a bad place. I can't sit back and watch Chad like this, whether it's serious or not.

"Are you sure?" I question and he sighs, aggravated. I'm sure he doesn't mean for his next few words to sound as livid as they do.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I exhale, and try to explain my worry in the sweetest tone possible. I hold up my hand and count on my fingers, "Well, let's see… you're on your own – no Randoms in sight;" He raises an eyebrow, but I continue nonetheless, "you haven't said anything unless I've prompted since I got here; you look all sad and uncomfortable… all this adds up to not-normal Chad behaviour." I grin, linking my fingers, and resting my head on my linked hands, proud of my conclusion, "So, I'm just guessing – something's up." He groans, but I go on anyway, "So, c'mon, tell me what's up."

His next move reminds me of a little kid – the pout, though annoying, is pretty cute (…in a little brother way, not a different way), and he folds his arms like I've just told him off for knocking over my favourite vase. I have to stifle a laugh. I stare him down, and he looks back down at his feet. My lips twist into a crooked smile. Victory.

"So…?" I ask, still awaiting his response. He shuffles around uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm just not in the best of moods." He excuses himself after a long number of moments. I have to refrain from rolling my eyes. _No duh, brainiac…_

_Wait a minute…_

"Oh, coz of Chastity?" I say. He bites his lip, and I innocently pretend not to notice, remembering that moment I saw him with her back in Melody Falls. "I saw her talking to you, and you walking out… did she say anything to annoy you?"

I can tell the smile that follows is faked. Why is he lying…? "No!" He says. Nice job, buddy… but a little too high-voiced to be considered believable.

I can't keep the pride of being right off my face, "_What_ did she say?" I ask.

"Nothing!" He protests. Just a little too far off-beat… I should know, as a professional fraud and keeper of secrets. But I can see that I'm annoying him, and getting nowhere – one thing my type of frauds and liars hate, when people get on at us. So I decide to move on.

"Alright, fine. Was it… one of the Randoms?" I remember that… look in Tawni's eye. It was terrifying. "Is that why you're not with them now, coz one of them bugged you?" Tawni, duh. …Or… "Or all of them? Coz, listen to me, Chad, you could get much better friends than them…"

I stop when I see the look on his face. He looks… crushed, angry, sorrowful, apologetic… too many emotions to count. I try to apologise for causing him this trouble… but my mouth is dry, and he isn't listening anymore anyway. He's in his own little world… maybe I should leave him alone…

"Actually…" He says, before I can get up, so I settle back in my seat. Score, he's gonna spill! "There has been a bit of a problem. You see, I think a couple of people we know have been getting suspicious about our… _friendship_."

I blink. He sounds slightly disgraced at the word "friendship"… what the heck? "Who?" I ask.

He lets out a weary moan, "I don't know… Chastity, Tawni…"

Chastity? "Chastity already knows; I'm sure she's known for ages…" I mumble to myself. I then realise Chad is now listening to me, look up at him, and smile friendlily. "And as for Tawni… well, who cares about her?"

"I do." He answers quickly. I blink, confused by what he means. He recollects himself quickly, carefully, picking up the pieces to disguise his outburst. "She's my friend, like it or not. And, she is also friends with all my other cast-members, who are also my friends. If she tells them…" His blue eyes are suddenly ten shades darker, "if she reveals anything… my cast will be so mad…"

"And there's no way they'd be happy with us." I finish the sentence for him, gulping anxiously.

Now I get it. We're getting too blindingly obvious… we need to do better than we have been in pretending that we hate each other.

"Exactly," I hear Chad says, "So, I was thinking, maybe, we should… y'know? Turn up the defence mechanisms…"

I'm way ahead of Chaddy though. I stand up, slamming my cup on the table. Time for the performance of the day… "Jeez!" I scream, "I'm only trying to be nice to you! But no, you just can't seem to take it, you… you pathetic little Random_ loser!_"

I have to refrain from slapping myself – he looks so confused… but pretty cute. Like that puppy, still. "Wha-" It's only a few seconds later when he catches on, "Oh, well, look at you, Miss Perfect!" He shouts, "Being nice! Never thought I'd _see _the day!"

I gasp dramatically – my usual diva-gasp, "I'm trying something _new_!" I yell. It sounds like garbage to my ears, but it seems like everyone's buying our little fight. So far, so good then. I continue monologuing. "I saw you over here all alone, and so I came over…and if you can't handle it, then why should I flippin' _bother_?"

"Just _don't!_" Chad yells. "Your version of _tough love _is not what I need right now… Just stay as your normal bigheaded diva-face self!"

Um… gosh… what to do…? I have to amp it up somehow… but what do I do…?

I eye the cup on the table and grin evilly. I pick it up, and with one swift throw… _splash! _I soak poor Chaddy in Coke.

Lovely.

And with that, Sonny Munroe's work is done.

I leave the cafeteria, grabbing my phone out of my pocket and frantically typing a message to Chad, hoping he wouldn't erupt at me later, and luckily, he seems fine. He sends the last message after a few minutes of texting, saying he's going to rehearsal, and part of me is worried for him. Gosh, if Tawni is really as suspicious as he thinks she is…

"Hi-hi!"

A smiley girl pops up in front of me, and I refrain from rolling my eyes.

"Chastity…" I moan, "What do you want? To give me a heart attack?"

She pouts sweetly. I can tell she's just mocking me though. I could slap her fake little face… and Chastity is the last person I'd expect faked expressions from. Plus, after what Chad said, she is one of the last people I actually _want_ to see right now. I just walk straight past her, but she is relentless. She follows me at my heels, like an eager, hungry puppy. Hungry for gossip on me and Chad, I suppose. Not that there is a '_me and Chad'._

Of course not.

After a few metres of being followed, I get bored. I turn around, and she is obviously satisfied, grinning like mad.

"What do you want?" I repeat, throwing my arms in the air for emphasis. She smiles unpretentiously.

"I was just gonna say that it was very sweet of you to go talk to Chad when he was obviously upset. I wonder what was wrong with him…"

I groan, "I could've sworn _you _were part of the problem…" The words escape my mouth, and she frowns.

"How so?" She asks innocently.

I shake the idea of telling her out of my mind. Knowing Chas, she'll feel bad and just get even more involved trying to fix it… or she'll just meddle. Ugh…

"You shouldn't get involved." I say, pushing past her and heading for Melody Falls.

"_You_ shouldn't run from it!" She yells to me, "_You_ should welcome it with open arms!"

I pause where I am, before turning back and chuckling. "Chastity," I say as she walks up to me, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She giggles quietly to herself, and I slightly fear for myself. I swear she's going crazy. "You _do_. Somewhere in there, you do. Chad does too. You just both haven't… noticed it yet. Embraced it. Yet, anyway."

My mouth drops open. I'm confused. Dumbfounded. "You've lost me, Chas." I stutter out. She pats me supportively on the shoulder.

"Just trust me." She says, "Someday… it'll happen."

She then walks past me, to the set. I watch her, my mouth hanging open, my brain hurting.

Well, okay, my cast-mate seems to have gone rather mad…

This should be interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heheh, I quite enjoyed that... It was much longer than planned, anyway... Yeah. Next chap I'll go back to basing it on an episode! The Kiss-Cam one, I think :) **

**Review please! Ooh, and to all y'all who want to give critisism... like someone did last chap. I appreciate it, really. But what I don't appreciate is something like "it's boring". If you want to submit critisism, make it constructive. Thank youuu :)**

**Me is out ;D**

**~Amy x**


	24. Relationship

**A/N: Heyy... It's me! I'm updating :D HUZZAH!**

**Review replies!**

**XxSimplyAlicexX: OMG YOU ARE SOOOO SWEET! I just got soooo happy over your review, I was crazy happy that day all coz of you! :D Love ya x**

**Slinky Flower The Lovatic: :O I knoowww! I need to find it on YouTube! I heart the Sprouse Twins. I sooo wanna see the "Cooper's Hollywood Scoop...er" sketch. I DIED when I saw the preview for it on YouTube! :D**

**Heh. Yeah... it was Brenda. My baadd... but hey, this is a parallel universe, right? So let's say Brenda quit and got replaced with Bertha :P **

**Okay... hey, did I mention that Melody Falls was filming the last episode of the season last time? Well, they were. Ha. And they still are, at the beginning of this chapter. **

**So, hey, enjoy!**

**DC: Must I? ...Fine. IDON'TOWNSONNYWITHACHANCE**

**Random person: What?**

**I DON'T OWN SONNY WITH A CHANCE! But... I'm fine with that... coz it means I own this story :P**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23 - Relationship<strong>

Sonny's POV

"Oh, Trevor." I say dramatically, gazing up at the "stars", which are really just twinkly tree lights. But hey, I'm not gonna ruin the "magic". We'd filming the final scene for this season finale. Brilliant – I have about four weeks off! Which means more time with Chad – after he's finished with the last two episodes of So Random in two weeks, we'll have two weeks until I go back, free to do whatever we want! Just me and him… no casts, no hiding, no worries. Finally, we'll get some peace. I keep that in mind through this whole scene – soon, Chad and I will finally be able to be ourselves again.

"I thought that my feelings for you were just friendship-based… but I've been feeling… different, recently."

I zone out for Ferguson's lines. Chastity's been staring at me for ages, ever since I walked on set, to be honest. She's still creeping me out… and now, during this scene, her smile has been wider than the Cheshire cat's.

What the heck is wrong with her?

To be honest, I'm glad to escape from the set. Tired, I make my way straight home – I decide I'll go get Chad's replacement shirt from when I soaked him at lunch tomorrow – and arrive home to see Johnny's car is absent from the driveway.

Ah. So Mom and Johnny have been fighting again. No surprise there.

My Mom is sat on the couch when I walk through the door, hugging a mug of coffee, watching a girly chick flick movie that we got on DVD that I was going to force Chad to watch during our two-week break together. I roll my eyes, pushing through the kitchen door, and rooting through the freezer for some food. I find a frozen pizza and take it out.

"Mom!" I call, "Shall I make dinner?"

"Could you, sweetie?" My mom calls back, "That would be great."

"Just a pizza?"

"Whatever you want, sweetie."

I shrug, putting the pizza in the oven, before getting out my phone to text Chad. I change my contact name for him from "Cooper" back to "Chad", considering I won't need the disguised name because none of my cast members are gonna be anywhere near my phone for the next month or so.

_**To: Chad**_

_**Rehearsals over?**_

_**From: Chad**_

_**Yup. Mom's out with friends so I'm home alone. 'Tis lonely… :(**_

A light-bulb goes off in my head.

_**To: Chad**_

_**You should come over! We're having pizza! …Your favourite… ;)**_

_**From: Chad**_

_**Heh. You know me too well. Hawaiian? **_

I smirk.

_**To: Chad**_

_**What else? :D**_

_**From: Chad**_

_**Alright, I am convinced :D. Be there in 30 mins :)**_

I smile, abandoning my phone on the kitchen table and running up to my room to find my guitar sat on my bed. I found a cool song that totally fit me and Chad, called "Count on Me", and learnt how to play it, preparing for this very moment. Sure, I was planning to save it until we were on break, but the sooner the better!

* * *

><p>30 minutes later – right on time – I hear Chad come up the driveway, and I grab my guitar and put the strap around me, beaming. I open the door and begin to sing and strum, and he laughs when he sees me, dancing happily along to the guitar. <strong>(Go check out the song! I'm not gonna put in the lyrics coz this chapter is too freakin' long… Count on Me, Bruno Mars. It's super cute :D) <strong>After I've finished, he hugs me tight and I giggle.

"Feels like reverse carol-singing, this!" He smirks, and I whack him upside the head, taking his hand and dragging him in. Mom's eyes light up when she sees him.

"Oh, hello!" She says, moving off her position on the couch that she's been in for the last 30 minutes. "I've met you before, haven't I?"

I wrap my arms around Chad, like a snake, and shoot Mom a giant smile, "This is Chad, Mommy." I coo, "He's from the studio, and he's my bestest friend!"

"Hey, Ms Munroe." Chad smiles friendlily. The look my mother gives us then is disturbing, but it flees as fast as it came and she smiles welcomingly.

"Allie invited you for dinner, did she?" She asks, and Chad nods. It takes him a minute – he's not used to hearing Mom call me 'Allie'. I roll my eyes. "Well, go straight through to the kitchen – the pizza's ready."

Chad laughs, "Here I was," He mumbles into my ear, "Admiring how you get steak and lobster at work… and then you somehow end up coming back down to earth at home with _real_ human food like pizza."

I wink at him mockingly, "Sonny Munroe likes to experiment." I say, flicking my hair back, and he chuckles as I lead him through to the kitchen.

We have a great night – after the pizza, we watch the movie that I'd prepared, and Chad takes it well, apart from hiding behind a pillow at all the slushy bits. Hey, at least it's entertaining. Well, his reactions are. Heh.

Afterwards, we just hang in my room, watching random YouTube videos and stuff until my laptop's battery runs out and I can't find the charger. I then make force him to play 'Dance, Dance, Dance Attack!', and we jump around like idiots until we're both worn out. Then, we just sit and talk until his Mom calls at 9:30pm and asks (very loudly) where he is, and so he has to go home.

"Wish me luck." He calls as he leaves, rolling his eyes lightly.

And then he's gone.

And, oddly, I start to feel empty.

I miss him already.

Thinking that I'd see him in my dreams, I head up to bed straight away, and, considering how tired I am from work and dancing like a maniac, I sleep straight away.

"_You're pathetic."_

_A familiar voice rings in my ears as I drift in and out of unconsciousness. Tawni. I watch as an image appears and the blonde, skinny Random smirks at me, staring with cold blue eyes._

_But something is wrong._

_Very wrong._

_And it's only a few seconds later when I realise what it is._

_Tawni wraps her arms around a boy, pulling him close, and the boy sneers at me._

"_I have Tawni now." He tells me, "I don't need a train-wreck like you for a friend anymore."_

"_But… Chad… you're my best friend!" I yell, "I've… I've never had a friend like you!" A tear dribbles down my cheek, and I add the last part timidly, my voice dripping with desperation. "I need you."_

_Chad snorts, "You _need_ me?" He asks. I nod frantically, and he lets out a cruel laugh. "I don't know why I ever liked you. Tawni's right. You _are _pathetic."_

_Chad's words sting harder than a slap. I have to keep it in the forefront of my mind that this is a dream, that his words aren't real, that it's only my mind messing with me._

_But still, it horrifies me. To see my best friend… with Tawni Hart, my worst enemy. She suddenly kisses him on the lips, and he kisses back. I feel sick as he wraps her in his arms. _

_My mind is making me imagine them…_

_In a relationship. _

"No!" I scream. I open my eyes and realise I'm in my room. Light streaks into the curtains. My breathing is rapid, and I place a hand to my chest, trying to slow it back down. I then reach for my phone, searching for Chad in my contacts. Part of my mind starts to panic that his number has been deleted from my phone, and so I sigh in relief when I see he's still in there. I dial his number, and a few painful seconds later, he picks up the phone.

"Sonny?" He mumbles. He sounds like he's only just woken up, but still; it's nice to hear him saying something that isn't heartbreakingly mean.

"Chad…" I breathe. The relief in my voice is blindingly obvious.

"Is everything okay?" He asks, picking up on my tone. I try to smile.

"Everything's fine." I say, "I'm just glad to hear your voice… I had a nightmare."

"What about?" He says. I bite my lip. I can't tell him… it'll be too weird…

"Never mind." I say, "Are you busy today? Can we hang out?"

The confusion fades from his voice and I can almost hear him smile. Ah, that smile… "Of course we can, Sonshine." He says.

"Great." I say, upset that the conversation is coming to an end. It's always so upsetting when I have to leave someone I love. After what's happened before in my life, I treasure every second I'm with someone I love. It's heartbreaking when I have to leave them because I'm worried they'll disappear. I mean, I know Chad won't leave me, but there's always a small seed of doubt in my mind that he'll go away, and I'll be alone once more.

"I'll meet you at my dressing room, okay?" He says, "Coz I have to go to the Prop House to tell the guys I can't hang out… We were going to, but I'd rather hang out with you."

A grim part of me takes satisfaction in the fact that he's turning down a day with the Randoms – with Tawni – to be with me.

"Okay, meet you there in an hour or so?" I ask.

"Okay." He says.

"Love you." I add, a little too quickly.

"Love you too." He laughs. Aw, such a sweet laugh…

"Bye." I say.

"Bye."

Then I hear a beep.

He's gone again.

* * *

><p>I get to Chad's dressing room a few minutes early, which is embarrassing. Will Chad think I'm just desperate? Eh, I'll see, I guess…<p>

Chad walks through the door and I jump out of my seat and run straight at him, wrapping my arms around him and digging my head into his shirt.

"Hey!" He laughs, shocked but happy. "Did you miss me?"

I nod, my nose getting scratched on one of the buttons on his shirt.

"Aw, honey." He coos, "I missed you too."

"I doubt more than I missed you." I say. I really mean it.

"Okay," He says, "So what are we gonna do now?"

I shrug, "We could… go out? See the sights?"

Chad nods, "I've always wanted to see the Hollywood sign up close."

"Well…" I say, grinning, "Let's go!"

I grab Chad's hand and drag him out of the room, down the hallway, past the Prop House (very quietly) and out to my car. I swear I could've heard footsteps behind us… like, high-heels. But right now, I don't really care. Chad is mine for now – he's with me. He's _mine_. No-one else's. And I know that sounds all crazy and possessive, but I just love him too much to think that anyone could steal him away.

_Especially _Tawni.

* * *

><p>When we get to the top of Hollywood Hills, Chad lets out a whistle and smiles.<p>

"It is too cool up here." He breathes.

"Yup." I say softly, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it.

"Sonny…" He mumbles, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I say, maybe a little too quickly, "Just… that dream."

He exhales, "Sonny, what was it about?"

"I can't remember." I lie, "I just know that… it made me realise how much I love you. how much I need you, and if you left…"

"I'm not going anywhere." He says calmly.

"I know." I say, "And for that, I am so glad… it's just, you know, after my past… I'm used to being let down. And I know you'd never do it to me, but I can be so insecure."

"I understand." He sighs, "I know how hard it must be… but I'm here for you. I promise."

The warmth of his hands is soothing, and I wish I could stay up here, with him, forever.

"You're the perfect friend, Chad." I say, "Your friends are really lucky."

"You're one of them, y'know." He smirks.

"I know." I say, "I am incredibly lucky. I don't know what you see in me."

"Well… I see what no-one else in the world sees. The _real _Allison Munroe. And she is pretty darn great."

My cheeks turn red. "Thanks." I'm lucky I can even get that out. It's suddenly really hot in this car… "You're awesome, Chad."

One corner of his mouth twists into a smile, but he looks slightly sad.

"I'm glad you think so." He mumbles. I frown.

"What do you mean?"

He shrugs, chuckling forlornly, "Well, I wouldn't say I always considered myself that way…"

"Are you kidding?" I say as my jaw drops open. My Chad doesn't realise how special he is? "Why not? You're Chad Dylan Cooper – you're funny, you're kind, you're sweet, you're cute…"

"You think I'm cute?" He looks up at me with those piercing blue eyes, and I hide my cheeks behind my hair to avoid humiliation. I don't even know why I'm blushing…

"Well, y-yeah…" I stutter, "I mean, I bet you had girls knocking at your door coz they thought so!" _Nice save._

Chad shrugs, "Three," He admits shyly, "and they weren't exactly the greatest girlfriends in the world."

I blink, "How so?"

He exhales jadedly, "The three girls I dated – Ronnie, who you know," _Ugh. Ronnie. _"and then there was Georgia and Tina. They all just seemed to date me just to use me – maybe to get their old boyfriends back, or for a bet… I guess I was just an easy gullible target."

I bite my lip. Poor Chaddy… I know I'd never treat him like that, if I was one of those girls lucky enough to date him. He's too perfect to be treated like that…

Um. Yeah.

"I dunno…" He is saying, "My love life's been a bit of a failure so far…"

"You're only sixteen." I say softly, "Trust me – I'm the same. It feels like everyone I've ever loved has just left me. I know it's hard right now, but we're both sixteen – we have our whole life ahead to find that… special someone."

I tighten my grip on Chad's hand, resting his head on my shoulder and stroking his blonde hair. It's soft. Aw. Cute. He chuckles gently. I could close my eyes and listen to him laugh like that for the rest of my life… that isn't weird, is it?

"Thanks, Sonny." He says.

"You're welcome." I smile as he gets off of my shoulder, fixing his hair self-consciously, "And, so you know… when I find _that special someone… _I really pray he'll be like you."

The smile on his face then is heart-warming. Like… everything bad we've discussed has just been chased away… by that one infectious smile. I feel myself edging closer towards him, and he does the same. I can't help myself… he's just so sweet… "Thanks." He says, "And, uh, when I find _that special someone… _I hope she'll be just like you too."

My fingers uncontrollably intertwine with his, and my mind begins to malfunction. What the heck am I doing? It's just… he is so damn _cute… _and so, _so_ perfect…

I feel myself leaning closer and closer to him, and my eyes close. I remember our first – and only – kiss, and begin to hunger for more. Just a few more inches, surely…

A few seconds of agonising waiting later, I open my eyes to see his blue ones staring back to me.

He's frowning.

A genuine frown.

He's confused. He's angry. And when I realise what I was doing, I shake my head and mentally kick myself, mortified.

What have I _done?_

"Chad?" I say carefully as he drags his eyes away from mine, shaking his head desperately.

"Get me back to Condor Studios." He says. It barely comes out as a whisper. "Tawni said she needed my help with something, so I might as well get back there now."

My heart freezes, cold as ice. No. No, no, no, not Tawni. Please. Anyone but Tawni.

I put on a brave face for my… ugh, best friend. _Not _boyfriend. So what the _hell_ was I _doing _trying to kiss him? "I'm on it."

I don't dare to say anything else, the whole ride back to the studio. There's a stupid, clumsy silence between us, and it's all my fault. What did I think I was doing – trying to kiss him? Chad is my friend… who kisses their friend? On the _lips_? If I'd have _actually _kissed him… who knows what would've happened…

It suddenly feels like we've taken a step backwards in our relationship. Before Chad and I were buddies, I was constantly trying to hide the fact that I had feelings for him. I could've sworn those feelings had disappeared now. I mean, I still think he's cute, but not in the way that I want to date him. But now that I've nearly _kissed_ him again – and was prepared to do it – I'm not too certain those feelings _have _really gone away…

This is wrong… all wrong… I mean, we're meant to be best friends, right? So why on earth was I ready to kiss him? I dunno… maybe I should just pretend like it never happened? Deny anything Chad says about it? Or anyone says?

I'm suddenly haunted by some familiar words…

"_You shouldn't run from it! You should welcome it with open arms!"_

I growl. Chastity. She did this to me. That must've been what she's been thinking this whole time. _She _thinks Chad and I like each other in _that_ way. _She _put those crazy ideas in my head. Maybe… maybe _she_ put the crazy ideas in Chad's head too! Maybe that's why he had those suspicions about her knowing more than she should…

"_Someday. It'll happen."_

Of course. Now I fully know what _it _is… and I don't like it. I could punch her lights out, I swear. Maybe that would knock those stupid ideas out of her mind.

I exhale, trying to control my anger, and focus my attention on Chad. He's sat forward in his seat, his eyes shut down, his mouth straight. I can't read him at all.

"Chad?" I say, my voice coming out hoarse. He just gazes up at me with a watery look in his eye. _Please don't cry, please don't cry… _"I'm sorry." I say. He just shrugs, turns so that his back is on me, and rests his folded arms on the side of the car and his head on his arms. He sighs heavily, and I give up and turn back to face the road.

_No. _If Chad doesn't forgive me for this… heck, I won't be able to cope. There's no way I could survive without Chad… at least as the nicer girl that I've become since he arrived. I want him. I _need _him. Best friend, boyfriend, neither… I _need _Chad Dylan Cooper in my life.

And I will not let some faulty almost-kiss ruin our relationship.

I pull up outside Condor Studios, and Chad undoes his seatbelt like it's been suffocating him and gets out, closing the door behind him. Desperate to hear his voice once more, I let down the window on his side and call out to him. He turns around, tapping his foot on the pavement, exasperated.

"What?" He says. He doesn't sound angry. He sounds… disappointed. At himself.

"I'll see you later?" It's more of a plead than just a question. As in, please, _please_ see me later. His face shuts down and he shrugs, nods, and walks off.

"Bye, Sonny." He calls over his shoulder. He doesn't look back.

Oh no.

It's happening.

Chad's POV

After the incident with Sonny, I know I have to get back to So Random, away from her, as soon as possible. This is just all wrong… someone has to be trying to mess with my head, I swear…

I mean, this is just ridiculous. First, Tawni's suspicious of me and Sonny. Then, Chastity suggests that we are in a relationship, and now, Sonny tried to kiss me?

And I was gonna kiss her _back?_

It's so weird… I've never had a friend who's a girl – cousins, of course, but never a real girl friend. Now, I have that female companion that I haven't ever had in Sonny. Sonny is definitely the best friend I've ever had – sure, my friends back at Wisconsin are awesome and I love 'em like brothers… but Sonny isn't a brother. She doesn't play-fight and joke all the time and smirk at all your secrets. She listens. She understands. She's been through so much herself, yet she's still courteous to listen to your problems too.

Plus, she's not like most of the chicks here in California – or any girls I've ever met, for that matter. I know she has to hide behind Sonny Munroe, the bigheaded Hollywood mega-star, but deep down, she's someone different. She's just a girl – a normal, sweet, kind girl. She listens, she cares, yet we can still muck about around each other; she's the perfect best friend.

So why would she jeopardise our friendship over a kiss? Surely she doesn't have feelings for me…

_Right_?

Right. And it's not like Chastity was correct. It's not like we're falling for each other or anything… my feelings for Sonny have long gone. But still… why was I perfectly ready to _kiss _her? Why did I almost do it?

And, while I'm on the subject, why did she almost do it back? I have so many questions, but I can't ask them. Not yet. It's too awkward.

I promised to care for Sonny. I promised to myself that I would never screw her up; after all she's been through, she doesn't deserve it. But… kissing her? After I've just told her that I want a girl like her? What's that gonna make her think? That I want her? Is it gonna pressure her to date me, when I don't even want to date her? At least… I _think_ I don't… ugh.

I need time to think… things would be so much easier if all this sudden stress hadn't been placed on our shoulders. Tawni's sharp glares, Chastity's odd accusations, everything that they've each said to us in the last few days, everything they've done. Maybe the stress is getting too much? Well, Sonny has four weeks off now, and I only have two weeks left. Maybe we can just… leave? Get away from all this and just run and hide? Just the two of us.

I shake the idea out of my head. That sounds like eloping. Not gonna happen.

I get out of the car, my head still clouded with thoughts. I try to give Sonny a friendly goodbye, but I'm so confused it really doesn't work. I just… pray that she isn't as messed up right now as I am.

And now I have to go help Tawni with something. Yippee. She is so not the person I want to see right now… in fact, I don't want to see anyone right now. No-one but Sonny. I want to hug her and talk things through with her and tell her she's the best thing that I've ever had.

But I won't. I can't. It's just… all too much right now…

I try to greet Tawni with a smile when I arrive in the Prop House. It's a petty attempt, but she seems to buy it.

"Hello, Chad!" She coos, getting up from the couch, a lipstick in one hand, a make-up mirror in the other.

"You needed me?" I ask kindly, and she nods, taking my hand, and leading me out of the room. She drags me along a few corridors, and soon enough, we're in the cafeteria.

"What are we doing here?" I ask her, and she smiles, staring at a boy far into the crowded room.

"Just sightseeing…" She sings dreamily, "Well, for now. But in a minute, I'm gonna need to you to do me a favour."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I think I know what's going on here. Frankly, I don't want to be involved. I'm too exhausted right now. "Which is…?" I ask, even though I know.

"I need you to get me a date with that guy." She says, pointed daintily at the guy, who's just got some fro-yo. Ah, I know him. Hayden. He's the new intern at So Random. Well, I'm glad – at least Tawni's focusing on something _besides _me and Sonny and out friendship.

_Friend_ship_._

"And why, exactly… can't you do it?" I ask her uninterestedly. She shrugs.

"Because I just can't… he's not like any other guy I've ever dated! I don't know how to talk to him!"

"Well…" I say, "Just be yourself."

She stares at me like I'm crazy. Okay…

"Plan B then – just talk to him like you talked to me when we first met. I was 'normal' enough back then, wasn't I?"

She raises an eyebrow at me, before her lips curl into a smile. "You're right!" She grins, "I can do this…"

"Well, that's good." I say, peering over her shoulder, "Coz here he comes now."

She pulls a horrified face, before turning to see the guy behind her and jumping back in shock. Hayden smiles at her, his brown hair spiked up out of his face.

"Hey, Tawni." He says. She tries for a smile, but it looks pretty weak.

"Hey…" She says, suddenly radiating with confidence. She winks. "I'm Tawni Hart, but of course, you knew that."

Oops. _Nice plan, moron. Get her to treat him like she treated you? Real charming._

Hayden's eyebrows raise in confusion, before he nods slowly, "Okay…" He says. He looks past Tawni to me and smiles, "Hey, Chad."

"Hey." I greet him, and then he leaves out the door. Tawni watches him, her palm to her face, shaking her head.

"Whoops." She says.

Whoops indeed.

* * *

><p>An hour or so later, and I'm close to giving up. Well, if I didn't know this before, I sure do now – Tawni Hart can <em>not <em>act normal. At all.

So, when I made that breakthrough discovery, I told her to go back to her dressing room, and that I'd get her the date myself. I find Hayden in the So Random stage room, take a deep breath, and walk up to him with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Hayden!" I say. He turns to face me and grins, balling his fist for a fist-pound. I imagine his fist as Tawni's face, and it's quite enjoyable. _Ha. You're nice. _Shut up. I'm in a bad mood.

"Sup, Chad?" He asks. I exhale nervously, which is weird, coz I'm not even asking him out for me or anything. That would be weird.

Still, I wanna get this right for Tawni. Maybe then she'd _leave me alone. _

_Permanently. _

"Um, I know this is gonna sound weird, but I've been trying to help Tawni get a date with you for the last hour."

He raises an eyebrow, "A date?" He says, "With Tawni?

I nod, "She's kinda into you." _Understatement. _I'm freakin' tired of her talking about him already. Yeah, I'm really in a bad mood today. I just have a lot on my mind. Thank you, Sonny Munroe.

The grin grows on Hayden's face. "Wow, that's awesome!" He says, "So, what does she have in mind?"

I shrug, "She hasn't really suggested anything… you got any ideas?"

"Well, I have tickets for the Lakers game tonight." He says, "I was gonna ask anyone if they wanted to come, but it would be cool to take Tawni."

I stifle a laugh. Tawni Hart? At a basketball game? Well, this should be fun…

"I'm sure she'd love it." I lie. Okay, well, maybe _that's_ a lie. Maybe Tawni will enjoy this. And maybe afterwards, I'll see a flying pig.

"I have one more ticket…" Hayden is saying, but he smiles at me kindly, "Dude, you should come?"

I grin. I get to watch Tawni Hart at a basketball game, first-hand? This day is starting to get better…

"I'd love to come." I say.

That, if anything I've said, is true.

Sonny's POV

Sunday morning, I wake up, checking my phone for the billionth time in the last few hours, praying that Chad has texted me, called me… anything?

He hasn't, of course.

I guess I should've known. I mean, Chad always calls, and if we have a fight, it's always over something silly and pointless and we apologise within the night. We've barely even had any fights, so we've rarely had a need to apologise. But this… you can't consider this as a fight. This, I consider as a relationship bump. And those are pretty difficult to get past. I just hope I can get Chad to forgive me… hopefully everything will go back to normal. If one little thing out of this changes our friendship… I don't know what I'll do.

After a few hours of just lying there, hugging my phone, I decide to get up for some breakfast. Or, lunch, considering the time.

Whoops.

I walk into the kitchen, where Mom is making sandwiches and talking to Johnny, laughing, smiling. I think they solved their fight from Friday last night, which is good. I was getting bored of Mom using up the couch space and the tissues. Honestly, she acts like a teenager… maybe she's trying to relive the glory days? Well, Johnny is 15 years younger than her… I shudder at the very gross thought and take a seat at the table.

"Ooh, Sonny, sweetie!" She calls over. Ah, so she's finally caught on, from Chad, that I prefer to be called "Sonny" nowadays, "There's an article on your little friend in Tween Weekly."

I know who she's talking about right away. Mom hasn't met any of my other "friends". So called, anyway. I grab the magazine, scan it, and my mouth drops open.

Well, Mom sure was right. There's an article about Chad.

On the f_ront page._

I read through the story and throw the magazine down, frustrated. I don't like this… not one bit.

On the front page, a large picture of him is shown, mocking me, under the following heading.

_Kiss Cam Capers!_

I can't believe it…

How could he do this to me?

How could he kiss Tawni Hart?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: DUN DUN DUH! **

**Don't hurt me! I know, there was waaaayyyy too much Chawni in there... forgive me? Yeah... if not, I'll go put in my mouthguard and prepare myself... lol :P**

**But hey, there was some cute Channy in there too... right?**

**Review pllleeeeaaasssseee! Let's try for those 10 reviews again :D I'll update faster, and... yeah.**

**Well, I gotta godo my French homework now. Yippeee... -_-**

**Love y'all!**

**~Amy x**


	25. Kiss Cam Capers

**A/N: Guys. I ... I don't know what to say... Oh, wait. I do.**

**EEEEPPPP! Thank you, thank you... _thank you! _Last chapter of QTO, I got 20 REVIEWS! I was like... :O MY READERS ARE THE BEST EVER! Thank you soooo much!**

**...Moment of hyperness over... ;) Yeah. Appreciated. Soo much :D I'm glad you guys love this story... well, lemme tell ya. It's only just beginning... ;)**

**swac twilight14: Ha. Tu est choute! Je m'appelle Amy et j'adore le examen en francais! xD**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas: Aww, thank you! Haha, you don't have to say that anymore! I know we is friends/sisters and stuff. You're awesome :D And as for your review on TDLOCDC (Or LWMS... can't remember...) of course I want to read your multichap! Soooo excited to read it! :D**

**WARNING: Chawni. Ew. Chawni. Yuck. CHAWNI! :/**

**I don't own SWAC... Onwards!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24 - Kiss Cam Capers<strong>

Chad's POV

I wake up on Sunday morning, the screams and shouts and cheers from last night still pounding in my ears, like I've got a hangover (not that I'd know what that feels like…). I start to pray that it was all just some horrible nightmare, but when I open the curtains to reveal the flashes of paparazzi cameras, my fears of the occurrences last night are proved to be ever so real.

Damn it.

Last night was… odd. Really, really odd. It all happened so fast – we were just having fun, watching the game, when Hayden left to go get some snacks, and I remember telling Tawni that the date wasn't exactly working out. Confused? Well, lemme put it this way. She wore a dress to a basketball game. A fancy-shmancy, Hollywood red carpet_ dress. _Yeah… she wouldn't know normal if it slapped her in the face.

"You just need to… act more down-to-earth." I tried to advise her as she watched the Lakers players with a disgusted look on her face, "You know what I mean?"

She shrugged, "Nope. I thought I was doing just fine."

"You're wearing a _dress._" I informed her. She just nodded, "To a _basketball game._" I added, jiggling in my seat restlessly.

She just smiled innocently, "When you told me, all I heard was 'ball'."

I rolled my eyes, patting her supportively on the back. This was going worse than I thought…

And that prompted the question – could it get any worse?

Well, yes. Yes it could.

At that moment, the crowd around us began to scream and shout "Kiss!", and when I looked around I saw that the Kiss Cam was roaming the aisles, looking for unsuspecting couples to proclaim their love to the whole stadium with a kiss.

So, baring that in mind, how do you think I felt when mine and Tawni's faces showed up on the large screen?

Answer – not good. At _all_.

"No!" I protested to the crowd, while Tawni just sat there, not helping at all. "We're not on a date! _She's_ on a date with someone else!"

This is when they started to boo. So what was I supposed to do? Let them boo us when this thing could easily be resolved? Wasn't gonna happen. Plus, they were starting to throw food, and I could tell Tawni was not gonna be happy when she noticed the huge mustard stain on her pink silk dress.

So, I did it.

I made one huge mistake.

I leaned in, and softly kissed Tawni.

On the _lips_.

That was… not my brightest idea ever, I'll tell ya.

I pulled away, and the screams and applause were deafening me. Tawni was just staring straight at me, her mouth gaping open. She didn't – it seemed like she _couldn't_ – say a word.

"Tawni? Chad?"

I turned around and my jaw dropped open.

Hayden was back. His expression of shock matched Tawni's, only his eyes were dark. I didn't blame him. I'd just kissed his date. He walked away, and I grabbed Tawni's hand and dragged her with me.

We drove home in total silence. Hayden had brought us all, which meant we had to leave the second he did. Tawni sat in the front with Hayden, just to try and get herself back on his good side… but I could tell in her eyes that something was going on behind them, in that maze of a brain of hers… she was thinking some very deep thoughts. I didn't ask about it, because a) Hayden might have ripped my face off if I'd even tried to talk to her, and b) I wasn't willing to attempt entering the twisted labyrinth that was the mind of Miss Tawni Hart.

I just stayed at the back and kept my big trouble-causing, Tawni-kissing mouth shut. Even when Tawni got out at her house, I just waved her off. That left just Hayden and me, in a car. Two guys – one who had come on a date, one who had kissed aforementioned guy's date who was supposed to be his incredibly annoying friend.

Not pleasant.

Hayden pulled up outside my apartment about ten minutes after we'd dropped off Tawni (and they were the longest ten minutes of my life, might I add). I scrambled to undo my seatbelt, desperate to leave. I put my hand on the door handle and that's when it hit me. I was being stupid. I was being childish. Sure, if I explained to Hayden, he'd understand that it was all just a big misunderstanding… right?

"Hayden?" I exhaled. He looked back at me with a semi-warm smile, but I could tell it was forced. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

He sighed, "Me too."

"I promise, it was only the Kiss Cam… it meant nothing."

He shrugged, that same sad smile on his face, "For you, it didn't."

I blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Tawni seemed kind of… fazed by the moment." He hesitated for a second, before carrying on, "It's okay though. Tawni didn't really seem like my type."

My lips curved into a slight smile. Thank goodness… he's not mad… that happiness fled quickly, though, when I realised what he'd just said. "I'm sorry, what was that about Tawni?" I said.

"She just seemed… different, after she kissed you." He admitted. As if I needed him to tell me… now he mentioned it, it was obvious what he had meant… Tawni did seem kind of in her own little world ever since that awful moment. "I wonder what was going on…" He was saying. I bit my lip, opening the door.

"Me too…" I said, before smiling at him once more, only this time it wasn't forced. At least he wasn't totally mad at me, and so what if he didn't like Tawni that much and she wasn't his type? I couldn't change that – no-one could. Besides, Tawni didn't seem to be too bothered with him either… after the kiss… I shuddered as I thought of it and as the cold night wind hit me. I shut the down behind me and made my way up to my apartment, just hoping no-one would care about what had happened that night and just forget that Tawni and I ever kissed, that the whole damned night never even happened.

Judging by the paparazzi shouts and flashes that have been my company ever since I woke up though… well, obviously my wishes were unfulfilled.

* * *

><p>It gets to about 11am, and I decide to just have a day at home. I honestly can't be asked to go out there and talk to anyone – if I do, I'll probably be trampled by paparazzi and fans asking what I was doing, kissing Tawni, and whether we're… ugh… <em>dating <em>or not.

Not is of course the answer. I wouldn't date Tawni, not in a million years. Sure, she's pretty… but she has a pretty ugly personality. The vanity, the rudeness, not to mention her awful past with Sonny… I would date Sonny before I dated Tawni! Wait… not a good thing to be thinking right now…

Point is. I wouldn't date Tawni. But knowing Hollywood, they'll shake it up and turn it into something it isn't. They probably already have – there probably is an article somewhere about our kiss last night. Gossip is probably spreading across the state – across the country.

Yippee.

I flick on the TV, leaving some crazy game show playing, while I stare at my phone, trying to decide whether to turn it on or not. If I do, I'll probably get called by someone – who I won't know, most likely – asking about the "rumours". But, being the nosy guy I am, I can't resist turning it on, just to check what's going on. Straight away, my text message tone goes off.

_**From: Nico**_

_**Get down here to the set quick, bro. U need to talk 2 Tawni.**_

Oh crap.

* * *

><p>I head down to So Random, like I'm on a mission. I hide myself from the paparazzi, making it to my car without them noticing me. I put on sunglasses and a random grey trilby I find in my closet to disguise myself. Luckily, it works – no-one stops me, no-one asks me awkward questions. For that, I'm glad.<p>

I meet the other Randoms, minus Tawni, in the Prop House, and they all look straight up at me. The room is silent, the air is clumsily tense. Their gazes are just so… so disapproving. But also kind of confused – in fact, more confused than angry.

Nico is the first to move, after what feels like forever. He puts his hand on my shoulder friendlily, and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. At least I know someone's on my side for this.

"Dude." He says softly, "What happened last night?"

I explain the story to them, and afterwards they just sit there for a few seconds, taking it in, before Zora speaks.

"Tawni came in earlier. She's been here all day – I was in here, jut innocently setting up a prank for some of the Falls kids…" Unlike usually, this part of her sentence doesn't really upset or offend me. Huh. "…I heard her come in while I was in the vents, and she was talking to herself about something."

"What was she saying?" I ask, and she shrugs.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?"

So that's what I do. I leave the Prop House and walk straight to her dressing room, just hoping nothing happens. I just want to go back to my life two days ago – I hadn't kissed Tawni, I hadn't almost-kissed Sonny… everything in my life just made sense.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I almost don't notice Sonny pass me in the So Random hallways, just near to Tawni's dressing room. She grabs my arm before I can go anywhere, and I turn around to face her, trying not to explode in her face. This is not the time to mess up yet _another_ girl, especially since I probably have already messed up this particular girl. I don't want to make things even worse.

"Chad." She says quietly, biting her lip, eyes meeting mine. I scold myself mentally for admiring how her eyes are sparkling… this is so not the time.

"I can't talk, Sonny." I say, trying to let her down as easily as possible. I half-turn back to the direction I was heading, but she pulls me back, sharper this time.

"Going to see your _girlfriend_?" She hisses. Oh _no_… not her too!

"Sonny, I don't have a girlfriend!" I protest, but she doesn't seem to hear me. Or rather, she doesn't seem to be listening – she's dug far too deep into her own little theory – that last night was more than just a kiss.

"Yeah, right, Cooper!" She growls, "So then, you just kissed her for no reason?" She then reveals an issue of Tween Weekly from behind her back and scowls at me. Mine and Tawni's already-infamous kiss is the leading story. I almost barf – I haven't seen a picture of it until now. It just doesn't look right… it makes my head ache to see what everyone's been freaking out about.

"Well?" Sonny almost screams. I shake my head.

"Sonny, I promise you, I'm not dating-"

"I don't _trust _your promises right now, _Chad._" She spits out my name like it's poisonous. "How could you do this after all you know about her? After everything she's done to me, you still have the nerve to _date _her?"

My whole body suddenly feels tense. She's not _listening_ to me…

"Sonny." I say her name slowly, so that she knows to listen carefully. "You're jumping to conclusions. Tawni is not my girlfriend."

"Then _why were you kissing her_?" She screams, her voice squeaking on the word 'kissing'. I just roll my eyes.

"Sonny, it was the kiss cam." I explain for what feels like the billionth time.

"That's not how the rest of the world sees it!" She growls.

"Well, the world doesn't know the whole story!" I yell back, "Seriously, Sonny, you need to listen to me! I'm your friend – best friend! You need to listen to me, trust me…"

"You ignored me." She says, her voice level a lot lower, almost shy, "All last night. You didn't call me or anything, and I was worried…" She then just chuckles emotionlessly, "I didn't know you were on a _date_ with my worst enemy."

My hands ball into fists, and I feel like hitting her, but then, what good would that do? Plus, I can't hit Sonny… I'm not man enough to do it (rather, I'm too _gentlemanly_ to do it).

"For the last time, Sonny." I say, speaking out each syllable clearly, hoping she'll actually understand, "We were not on a date. Why won't you listen to me? Why won't you believe me on this?"

Her eyes flash with anger, before she shakes her head and groans, raking a hand through her perfect brown hair in frustration. "Ugh, I'm just… I'm sorry, okay?" She says, fluffing her hair self-consciously. "I just… I don't know what I was thinking…"

She takes my hand, rocking it from side to side. It feels warm. It feels good.

And then, it all slides out of place.

The other Randoms round the corner behind Sonny's back, and I snatch my hand away from Sonny's and avert my eyes from her to stop them from seeing anything. I dare to look up afterwards – her lower lip is quivering, her eyes are glassy and watery. I could slap myself for making her like that.

"Fine." She whimpers, her voice breaking a little. The hurt in her voice is obvious. Great… I'm such an _idiot_…

She pushes her way past me, and walks off, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. I watch her go, my pleas for forgiveness trying to escape out of my mouth, but I just can't say them. Not with the Randoms around.

Wow. Why am I such a coward when it comes to Sonny?

"Chad?"

I turn back around to see my three friends staring at me, with equal looks of pure confusion on their faces.

"What happened there?" Grady asks, tilting his head a little. I open my mouth to speak, but it's unbelievably dry, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to say.

"Have you talked to Tawni yet?" Nico asks. I turn around again, watching Sonny walk further and further, until she turns the corner and is gone.

_Coward. _If I was _really _Sonny's best friend, I would've ran after her, despite what my cast-mates think. But I just don't want to cause even _more _problems… why is this happening? Everything was so fine until Tawni began to notice something between me and Sonny, and since then it's all just gone downhill.

I shake my head vigorously, pushing Nico's hand off my shoulder.

"I'm going home." I say, shoving my way through my friends.

I can't stay here right now…

I can't.

* * *

><p>Later on, I'm lying on my bed in my room, examining the pattern on the ceiling and wondering how and why my life has gotten so crappy in the last few short days.<p>

And that's when the doorbell sounds.

I get up, stomping my way across the apartment, and open the door (because Mom is out so I have to get it myself), and there she is. The route of the whole problem:

Tawni Hart.

She looks up at me, much shorter than usual against me because she doesn't seem to be wearing heels. Huh…

"Chad…" She whimpers. I melt, before realising that she is the whole reason Sonny is upset with me, and I fold my arms and scowl at her menacingly.

"What the hell do you want?" I ask, walking to the centre of the room and slumping down on the couch, leaving the door wide open. She just follows me in and sits next to me on the couch, putting her hand on my knee. I just shove it off, irritably.

"We need to talk about what happened…"

"There's nothing to talk about." I say sternly. "Just get out – I don't like this. If people see you here…"

"I've been thinking about the kiss." She blurts out. I just growl.

"So has the rest of the _country._" I say, and she frowns. I give up the whole angry thing after seeing her frown and just decide to shut up and listen to her. I take a deep breath. "What do you want?" I say, calmer this time.

She gulps loudly, before putting her hand back on my knee. "I've been thinking about, well, a lot of things…" She looks up at me, her sapphire eyes serious, "Mostly about us."

I shudder a little. I don't like how she said "us". Not one bit.

"Tawni…" I choke out, "I…"

"I think I have feelings for you." She says softly. It takes a moment for the words to sink in.

"You _what?_"

She hangs her head, almost shamefully. "I needed to tell you… I didn't know what I was meant to say… to _do_…"

I can barely focus on her words… this is all just so… so weird! Tawni Hart… has feelings for me? When I first came to So Random, that was all I wanted to hear. I had that massive crush on Tawni, but it's all gone now. I'm sure of it.

I think…

I mean, the feelings would've gone… of course they would've… after all the crap I've learnt that she gave Sonny, there's no way I'd want to be with a girl like her…

Right?

Right…

Tawni shakes her head, getting up off the couch. "I'm sorry, Chad…" She says, "I shouldn't have done this, it was wrong to come to you like this…"

She gets up and leaves the apartment, before I can even say anything. I watch her with a dumbfounded expression on my face.

What in the…?

* * *

><p><em>*the next day…*<em>

_**Tween Hear-Say Magazine…**_

_**So Random's Secret Couple?**_

_The eyes of the country have been on Condor Studios for the last few days. As we eagerly await the end of our favourite show's seasons (including number one drama Melody Falls and everyone's fave sketch-comedy show So Random!), and so if someone sneezes, the whole country seems to know. This is the time of year, people, when a huge news story usually comes about in America's favourite studio! And what could be a bigger news story than this? Hold on to your hats, people! Here it comes…_

_We all know that newest Random and proud Wisconsinite Chad Dylan Cooper has been the press's main focus since he stepped off that plane, with his side-cracking jokes, his stunning cuteness (and, of course, those blue eyes…), and we were sure he'd find lurve in La La Land sometime soon. So we were shocked (and also super happy!) to find love may be blooming for Mr Cooper. And no, not in the form of drama actress and infamous egomaniac Sonny Munroe, who he's been seen with by our secret sources many times… our lips are sealed! Rather, our favourite teen comedian seems to be getting comfy with fellow Random, Tawni Hart! Yes, people! That's right!_

_Their kiss was probably the most talked-about yesterday, with millions of views on YouTube and "#ChawniKissCam!" a top trend on Twitter all day. The two left and were unheard of for the next few hours, refusing to talk to any press. But, oh, we caught them! Tawni Hart was seen visiting her supposed boyfriend's apartment last night, and although we didn't catch their conversation, we're sure it was something to do with this possibly "relationship". _

_So, what do y'all think about the latest hot Hollywood couple? Are they real? Are they not? Are you a Chawni fan? Whatever the outcome, we'll be here to report it all!_

_See you next week!_

…

Boyfriend?

Chawni?

Relationship?

…

Oh, boy…

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><p><strong>AN: DON'T ATTACK ME WITH BRICKS! I know... Chawni. But hey. we all love drama, don't we... kinda? Meh, I dunno... me and my silly mind making all these Chawni moments... Channy to come! I promise! *heart***

**Pleasepleaseplease review even if you hated the Chawni! Getting 20 reviews last time made me all happy-like! :D**

**Peace!**

**Ooh, and I have a jab on Thursday. If I don't update before then, wish me luck! *heart***

**~Amy x**


	26. Guess Who's Coming To Wreck Chawni!

**A/N: Haha. Hi. No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - I am updating :D It is a short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless. And trust me - it will not be as... *throws up a little* Chawni-filled as before. **

**Channyrules: Thanks. Heh, how's this for a fast update? ;D**

**CDCTheRandomWizard23: Aww, thanks so much. Your review warmed me. I love Sonny too, but as a total CDC-obsesser I love Chad just as much ;D **

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas: Heheh. Hey. I freakin' love you, you know that? While I was writing this chap, I was bombarded with your reviews to LWMS, and your story! Gosh, honey, I love it! I was almost tearing up when Chad got to see Sonny... keep it coming pleeeeaaassseeee! This chap is dedicated to you for just making me smile like a nut :D Your name is like Sterling? That is too cool :D And I love you. Did I say that? ;D **

**And as for the thing about Bobbie's story, Argie - I'm fine. It's all patched up now - I forgived him, and I'm hoping and praying that he forgives me too. Love you too, Bobbie, if you're reading this.**

**I own Sonny with A Chance. I also think Sterling Knight is ugly. Yup, there, I said it! ...Did I tell you it's opposite day? ;D**

**Hey, check it out... totally long name for a totally short chap :P**

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><p><strong>Chapter 25 - Guess Who's Coming To Wreck Chawni (Yay! ;D)<strong>

Sonny's POV

_I'm walking through the So Random corridors, trying to get my head straight. I need to talk to Chad about his kiss last night, with Tawni, at the basketball game. My vision feels kind of blurry, and the corridors are blank, which is odd. I could've sworn there were life-sized pictures of the Randoms on the walls…_

_Suddenly, a dark figure passes me. But there's something odd about him – I swear when I first notice him, he has no face. I turn around, watching him flee, a speedy flash passing my eyes. I catch a sight of blonde hair and my heart does a back-flip._

"_Chad." I say, pulling him back. He looks at me, eyebrows raised, a half-smile across his lips. _

"_Sonny?" He says, confused, but that sweet smile still present on his adorable face. "What are you doing here?"_

_I gulp, "I'm just… here to see you."_

"_Why?" He asks after a few seconds of pure thinking. I blink._

"_B-because." I whisper, "Can't I come see my best friend?"_

_The friendly look on his face kind of disappears for a second. In fact, his whole face kind of just shuts down, like a computer screen. He looks totally blank. I wave my hand in front of his face, a little shaken. He looks almost zombie-like; it's scary. I used to have a fear of zombies anyway, which makes it even worse._

_Suddenly, his face switches on again a couple of seconds later, but the friendly smile has gone. Fled. Chased away by something completely different. My heart speeds up, my brain swells in my skull, as I notice him fold his arms and give me a cold, cruel look._

"_Best. Friend?" He snorts, scanning me with mocking eyes, "_You_ have a _best friend_?"_

_My breathing gets faster. Oh no… "Y-yes. You! Of course it's you!" I almost-scream, before my voice breaks and I whimper out, "D-don't you remember?"_

_He lets out a free, sarcastic laugh. It's so loud, it scares me, like a gazelle being confronted by a jungle cat that's about to pounce. Something scares me into thinking Chad is about to do just that… pounce and take me down, as I scream, helpless. _

"_Why would _I _be best friends with _you_?" He smirks, "Got a screw loose, airhead? Jeez… get a brain!"_

_This is when the walls feel like they're closing in and I begin to hyperventilate. No... No, no, no no no no… this can't be Chad... no..._

_He laughs that disgustingly cruel laugh once again. "What the heck is wrong with you? You act like you're all cool, Sonny, you're just a useless, stupid, pathetic _weirdo. _Go cry somewhere else – I _don't_ care!"_

"_You don't?" I gasp out. He smirks spitefully, obviously proud of himself._

"_Nope." He says. I've never heard Chad like this. So… so spiteful, so mean. It _scares _me. "Never had, never will. So why don't you…" He brings his face really close to mine, dropping his voice level. I gasp in horror when his voice changes from his own to a female one. He sounds like someone familiar… I feel sick when I realise where I know the voice from. He suddenly sounds exactly like Tawni… I mean it. "go home, get out of my sight, and never speak to me again!" He pulls away, smirking, before adding disgustedly (in his own voice again) as a feeble tear rolls down my cheek. "Freak."_

_He turns away, walking away, strutting actually. I've never seen Chad strut. It's not right… _

_And then, the worse bit comes._

_Tawni Hart, of all people, walks out of her dressing room, links her arm in his and pecks him on the cheek. He looks over his shoulder at me, grinning._

"_I have something _much _better than you." He says, "You heard about our kiss, right?" He winks cheekily, laughing, before Tawni kisses him on the cheek once more. But she's not done rubbing it in my face. She turns back and laughs._

"_He's mine." She smirks, "I win again." She says, before turning and walking away, arm in arm with my Chad._

My_ Chad._

_I run after them, trying to grab Chad's shirt to stop him, but he slips just out of my reach, and I trip over my feet and clumsily fall to the ground. The laughing in my ears makes it way too hard to bite back the tears anymore._

"_Chad…" I breathe tearfully, reaching my hand out for him as he walks away, not turning back. "Don't go…"_

_But it's too late._

_He's Tawni's._

_He's gone._

_..._

No… no, not again.

These Chad and Tawni dreams have getting to me recently.

An excruciatingly painful amount of them, might I add.

After they kissed on Saturday, I've just been scared about what could be going on between them. Tawni and Chad together is the stuff of nightmares (trust me – I would know). It's like, my best friend, and my worst enemy. That's never the best combination – somewhere along the line, knowing mine and Tawni's relationship, Chad will have to choose between the two of us. Obviously, Tawni – the beautiful, funny, shining-star-of-a-girlfriend – would be first pick over an over-controlling, over-troubled "bad" girl who breaks down at a single touch and just causes problems for herself and others around her.

She'll steal him from me. That's what she'll do – she'll take my Chad, she'll twist him around, turn him into that boy in my nightmare. She did that to me – turned me into the polar opposite of myself. She didn't even seem to realise she'd done it. She ruined my life, and if she really is dating Chad, she's doing it again. She took my happiness, my good name, my future as a role model, all my friends… and now there's nothing stopping her from taking away _this_ friend too, and leaving me alone once more.

Besides, I've been lucky as it is – having Chad as a friend… I should've known our friendship wasn't going to last. Or maybe I'm just overreacting? Maybe Chad was telling the truth yesterday, about not dating her? I trust Chad – why shouldn't I? What possessed me to think he would date her? I mean, of what I know, he dislikes the girl just like I do.

I was worrying about nothing last night… everything's fine.

Or… is it?

This week's Tween Hear-Say magazine is lied down on the coffee table when I get down into the front room, right in plain sight. Curious, I pick it up, which proves to be my biggest mistake.

When I see the picture on the front, in the bottom-right corner of the magazine, of Chad and Tawni, I swear the only thing I can hear is my heart beating at a scarily fast pace. The headline is about "_Chawni_", the pictures are of them smiling, and though it seems like they've been cropped together, they still both look really happy. It hurts to see. Then I read the article, and that makes it even worse.

She's doing it. She's trying to ruin my life, piece by piece. Now, she's taken Chad from me – Chad Dylan Cooper, the most incredible boy I've ever had the pleasure to meet, let alone be friends with.

She's trying, slowly, and succeeding.

She's taking him from me.

I throw down the magazine, exhaling angrily, trying to stop myself from exploding.

Right, that's it. I'm not gonna stand for this anymore. I'm getting Chad back, whether Tawni likes it or not.

* * *

><p>I stride into Condor Studios, ignoring the odd looks I get from security guards. I especially find the looks I receive from the So Random guards quite humourous; they aren't really used to seeing me down here.<p>

Oh well. I don't give a damn.

I slam my palm down on Marshall Pike's desk, and he looks up at me with that same expression I've got ever since I stepped foot in So Random.

"Miss Munroe?" He says, raising an eyebrow. I smile my dazzling smile.

"Mr Pike." I say confidently, "I have a proposition for you."

He bites his lip, "Go on…" He says.

"I have been thinking, about how your show needs a little ratings boost. So, I thought, what better person to give it exactly that than yours truly?"

I hate this stupid Sonny Munroe persona. Hate it, hate it, hate it… I just have to use it to hide the _real _reason I want to be a guest star on So Random for.

Yup, that's my ingenious plan – guest starring on So Random! This will be perfect – I can get close to Chad, maybe we'll have a sketch together or something… and I can make sure I hang out with him all week to stop him from spending time with… her.

"Are you sure about this, Miss Munroe?"

I flash him the same grin, "Never been surer!"

Marshall's mouth opens a little, and he tries to say something, but shakes the thought out of his head, gets up, and shakes my hand.

"Welcome to So Random, then, Miss Munroe!" He smiles, although he can tell he's slightly fearing for his career right now. I don't blame him – allowing a bigheaded diva into a room full of people she hates and then forcing them to work together?

This is gonna be an interesting week…

Chad's POV

Driving to work on Monday morning is the most nerve-wrecking experience I've had for months. I haven't been this nervous to get to work since, heck, my first day! At every red light a gaggle of teens and/or reporters walk up to ask me about "me and Tawni", so I'm so desperate to get away from them I probably break the speed limit every time. I ignore the odd looks I get from other drivers, only narrowly escaping death about five or six times until I enter the Condor Studios parking lot and exhale deeply, relieved, hugging the steering wheel like it's my best friend. Ah… safe and sound…

_Knock._

"Agh!"

A knock on the window terrifies me, making me jump about a foot in the air of my seat, and I half expected to see a zombie-girl there, interested to hear the news on _Chawni_. And yes – it's the Chawni bit of that that frightens me.

But no – it's only Zora. She waves at me through the window, smiling awkwardly, and I open the door, getting out. I collapse down onto me knees and kiss the floor.

"Thank goodness I'm here…" I think aloud, breathing heavily, "My attention was _not_ on the driving. Believe me, I'd said my prayers and had convinced myself I was gonna die."

Zora raises an eyebrow at me, "You… okay, Chad?" She asks. I get up off the floor and shake my head.

"Nope." I say, "This story on me and Tawni is getting to me…" I explain. She pouts.

"Yeah… Tawni came in early again this morning, which is totally weird for Tawni…" She grabs my arm and drags me along to the set. I swear I catch a glimpse of Sonny's flashy pink convertible, sat in its usual spot right in front of Melody Falls. Huh. I thought Melody Falls had their break…? Before I get a chance to investigate, Zora's dragged me inside the studio already. Wow… she's strong for an eleven year old girl… huh.

Everyone's in the Prop House, waiting for us when we arrive.

"I found him!" Zora shouts, waving my arm around in the air like I'm a little boy who lost his mommy. Well, this is embarrassing…

Nico and Grady smile and laugh and ask me where I've been, patronising me even more. Honestly I just want to crawl into a hole and die…

I ignore their random chatter and avert my eyes to Tawni, who's sat on the couch, holding her small mirror and a nail file. She looks up at me from under her eyelashes, and I can't exactly read what she's thinking. I wonder if she's finding this whole press thing as difficult as I am? Or maybe she's enjoying it? She admitted last night that she liked me, and she's quite the attention-seeker so she'll be ok with all this press attention.

I throw up a little in my mouth, just thinking about it. This is wrong… _so_ wrong.

Footsteps into the room interrupt everyone's chatter, and we all turn our heads in the direction of the doorway. Except Tawni, who, judging by the burning sensation in my back, is still look at me. I let out a small moan of annoyance and roll my eyes half-heartedly.

Marshall walks into the Prop House, wiping his brow with a handkerchief. He looks stressed, or more stressed than usual.

"Good morning, kids!" He says brightly, trying to hide the obvious tension with a cheery smile. "Now, we have a special guest star on the show this week! She's a last-minute guest, but she's willing to work with whatever sketches you come up with for her!"

I watch the grin grow on Nico's face and scoff lightly. Of course. _Every time_ we have a female guest star…

"Who is she?" Zora pipes up, and as if it was scripted, a click of high heels make their way down the lino corridor outside the room. The girl steps into the Prop House, confidence radiating off her, so much so that you can sense it a mile away, and she stands beside Marshall. Her skyscraper-high heels make her only an inch or two shorter than him, and I scan her clothing. Short, slutty. Oh no…

"Hello Randoms!" Sonny Munroe grins, flicking her hair back and winking.

…

World War Three kicks off in the Prop House in the next few seconds.

"NO!" The rest of the Randoms scream, before they each scream at how they can't be forced to work with Sonny. I just stand perfectly still, gawping at Sonny's raunchy clothing and perfectly arrogant grin. She looks just like the old Sonny Munroe… memories of my feelings for her when we first met come flooding back, and I avert my eyes and slam my mouth shut, suddenly self-conscious.

"She is _not _guest-starring!" Tawni demands, shouting over the rest of them, getting up from her seat on the couch. To be honest, I'm just glad she's stopped looking at me… "I will _not _allow it!" She steps forward, glaring at Sonny who just smirks right back.

"You will _have_ to." Marshall says, slightly stricter than his usual calm tone, "Mr Condor has approved of it – he thinks it will be the perfect opportunity for you all to spend time with each other. Miss Munroe is perfectly willing – she's fine with doing this. I suggest you all give this opportunity the same welcoming response, or you could be risking your jobs!"

He straightens his tie, back stiff, head held high, and he marches out of the room, leaving us alone with Sonny. She grins at each of us falsely (apart from me. Her eyes just skip mine). "So, Randoms…" She says, "Who wants to show me to my dressing room?"

"Show yourself there, slut." Tawni barks, folding her arms and fixing a scowl onto her face. **(Sorry… mean word)**

Sonny puts a hand to her chest and gasps loudly, but she's not really offended. The playfulness in her eyes is clear. "Using naughty words, are we?" She says, before turning to me with a smirk, "Oh, well, you've sure got a keeper there, Chaddy!"

I keep my mouth firmly shut, avoiding all eye contact. From Sonny _and _the Randoms alike.

"We're not dating." I say in a small, weak voice. I hear Tawni gasp quietly and I wince. Curse her…

"Right," Sonny chuckles, "In that case, Chaddy… can you take me to my dressing room?" She holds out a dainty hand for me to take, and I ignore it because of my cast's collective weird glares.

"Let's get this over with." I say, walking out the door, and footsteps follow me out.

Sonny catches me pretty quickly – she's smiling, looking back over her shoulder.

"Well, that was a warm welcome…" She laughs, before looking at me. Her massive heels make her almost my height, which is weird. She's always so short compared to me, and I'm no six-footer. Sonny always looked so much taller on the TV. I guess it's coz of those giant heels.

She grips my hand – it feels warm, comforting.

"We need to talk somewhere." She says, "Just… anywhere. I don't care. We just need to clear the air from the last few days. I just…" She sighs, "I want us to go back to the way we were."

I smile – a small smile, but a real one for sure. I've been feeling exactly the same as she has.

"Come on then, you." I say, gripping her hand even tighter, "Let's get this done…"

She laughs at my joking tone, before dragging me to my own dressing room. We get there, and she collapses on the couch, patting the space on the leather couch next to her. I laugh and sit down, and she spreads her legs over mine, bouncing about a little until she finds a comfortable position – apparently right on top of my lap. Oh great, bring on the cramps…

"So," I drawl, "as comfortable as this is…" Sonny lets out a happy laugh, "What now?"

"Let's start with Saturday, on top of the hills…" She says, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry I almost-kissed you."

I snort out a laugh. Looking back now, the whole experience just seems totally ridiculous. It's nothing compared between what's going on with Tawni.

"And I'm sorry I almost-kissed you back." I say jokingly. She giggles.

"You are forgiven."

"You are also."

Sonny smiles that adorable smile. Is it weird that I just noticed that her teeth sparkle in the light? They're really white too… nice. Then I look her eyes; her shining brown eyes, and I freeze.

Something's bugging her. She notices the confused expression in my own eyes and sighs, shaking her head slowly.

"Tawni…" She whispers after a few seconds of silence, and I sigh.

"Not dating."

Her eyes light up with happiness, with hope. She looks so sweet… wait, off-subject.

"I would never date her." I confess, "I'll admit; last night, she came to my apartment and told me she had feelings for me…" Sonny tenses a little, "But I can promise you – I don't feel the same for her."

"You don't?" She whispers, "Coz if you do, who am I stand in the way of true love?"

I let out a small laugh, "True love? Please! I'm sure Tawni's just going through a _phase_ – no way someone like _her _would love someone like _me._"

I mean it as a joke, but Sonny obviously takes it seriously. "Why?" She says softly, "What does she have that makes her any better than you?"

I shrug, "She's pretty, she's Hollywood born and bred, she's got confidence, she gets all the guys…"

"You're better." She stops me, "You're from Wisconsin – a much better place to be – _you've_ got confidence. _She's_ got _cockiness. _It won't get her anywhere. And as for the whole "pretty" thing…"

I my forehead creases; I'm curious as to where she's going with this, "What?"

She looks up at me with puppy-dog eyes, before smirking and throwing a pillow at me, "You're not such a bad looker yourself."

I chuckle, glad the air is now less tense. I throw the pillow back at her, and she pouts at me like a child. I snort.

"Well, that was fun." I say, putting my arm around her back to support her, my legs already dead from having her sat on me. She rests her head on my shoulder, moaning contentedly, her breathing slow and steady. She looks so peaceful… I rest my head back on the couch, aiming to get some shut-eye before we go to write some sketches with the others…

"Goodnight." Sonny mumbles, and I chuckle quietly, drifting slowly into sleep.

…

I jerk up suddenly as I hear my door creek open, and shove Sonny off of my lap as gently as possible to avoid anyone from noticing our little cuddling sesh.

"What the heck?" A female voice gasps from the doorway

Oops.

Too late.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oooohhhhh! What do ya think? :D So Sonny and Chad have pretty much made up - I know y'all were hoping for that. And Chad doesn't have feelings for Tawni! Can I get a WHOOT? ;D**

**But oohhhh! Who's at the door? Well, to be honest, I don't know myself yet. I have a choice between three people so far... to be honest, I have no idea where that last scene came from - I wasn't planning to do that at all :P**

**Soooo... who do you think is at the door? What will they say? What will they do? Review, and I'll update quicker! :D**

**On a different note, I have a keyboard exam on Monday! I'm really nervous for it too, so please think about me! **

**~Amy x**

**PS: I love you all. I really do. xxx.**


	27. Lurking In The Shadows

**A/N: You guys are incredible. Seriously. 24 reviews on that chapter? Duuuuudddeeee! I thought to myself when I first posted that chap "Hey, maybe I'll get 400 reviews soon". Maybe "soon" will be these chapter? Eh? Eh? ;D**

**EYELiNerRLUvEr2411 - better than the actual SHOW? *dies* I've been determined to repay you for that! So, here it is! The chap! Dedicated to you... for saying THAT. *dies again***

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - I feel like you... PLEASE UPDATE! ;D I'm locvin' it! (Hey, McDonalds... wish I don't own! :P) You're awesome :D Love you! Locve you! :D**

**And I'm glad ya'll liked the title last chappie... I did too ;)**

**I don't own Sonny with a Chance...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 26 - Lurking In The Shadows<strong>

Chastity's POV

"Ugh…" Marta moans into my ear, and I groan internally, wondering what the heck I'm doing with her. Why… why am I hanging out with her? Well, to be honest, I'm not – she just burst into my room at about ten o'clock and said we should "hang out".

Yippee.

And then she invited Portlyn and I'm listening to them jabber on about boys and clothes and shoes and blah-de-blah _blah_. Their bighead talk is seriously getting to me.

Marta takes out her cell for like, the billionth time and types in a number.

"Who are you calling?" I ask, trying to sound as polite and interested as possible. So, really, not really polite _or_ interested.

"Sonny." She says, "Maybe she'll help make this a little more interesting…"

"None taken." I roll my eyes as she lifts her phone to her ear. She waits a few seconds, before rolling her eyes, mumbling something like "stupid ignorant…" and placing the phone back in her handbag. I give her my brightest (fake) smile.

"No answer?"

"Nope." Marta mutters, "She has her phone off… loser."

I shrug, "Maybe she's asleep or something. You wouldn't blame her – I would still be asleep if _you_ hadn't come..." _Yup. Take that as a hint to leave. _She obviously doesn't get it and just flounces over to sit with Portlyn, who's laying on my pink beanbag chair and texting her boyfriend. Of the day, might I add.

They leave me out for the next few minutes. I don't really care – I would leave, if this wasn't actually _my_ house. So I just sit there, contently reading a book while they continue to chat about make-up and fan mail and the number of boys they dated last week (Marta won that battle, obviously…).

And then, they bring up Sonny.

"She's pathetic." Portlyn says listlessly while filing her nails, not lifting her eyes away from her perfectly manicured fingers.

"I know, right?" Marta drones, while letting her nails dry, "She acts like she's Miss Perfect. She thinks she's such a princess, but she's not."

_Looks who's talking. _I laugh mutedly to myself, shaking my head. Those girls are such jokes…

"And have you seen the way she's been acting recently?" Portlyn snorts, "She's been acting all weak and weird… she keeps zoning out all the time! Have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, I have…" Marta says, rolling her eyes rudely, "Seriously, what is her _problem_?"

I bite my lip to stop the words "_I think I know" _escaping from my mouth. "I think she's being kind of nicer." I say in a small voice. _Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

Both of them look at me with wide, empty eyes. Portlyn lets out a wild laugh, "Sonny Munroe?" She smirks, "_Nice? _Is she _paying_ you to say that?"

I shake my head. To be honest, it's true – Sonny _is _being nicer. I mean, she's just… a different person. She doesn't roll her eyes as much, file her nails as much, speak about herself in the third person… she's changing.

She's changing… and I think it's because of Chad.

I mean, I'm not an idiot – I can see the connection between them. When they fight, you can see in their eyes, if you look real close, they're just playing with each other, it's not a genuine fight. It's obvious – I've seen them together. I've known they're close ever since I found that note in the fruit basket he sent her ages ago.

They're hiding something. I'm not sure what, but they are. They are not enemies – I can be sure of that.

The only question is… are they really as they try to insist, only friends? Or are they something, possibly a little more? Is there more going on than they're letting on? That, honestly, is all I want to know…

Then something hits me. What if Sonny's hanging out with Chad right now? Maybe that's why she's not answering her phone… I thought Chad had So Random rehearsals? Hmm…

"We should go to Sonny's!" Marta announces proudly, placing her hands on her hips. "That'll teach her for ignoring _me!"_

Uh oh. "I guess I get no say in this?"

Marta shrugs, "Not after you called her 'nice'." She barks out a laugh, flinging her handbag over her shoulder and flipping her hair arrogantly. Portlyn follows her out of my room, a puppy at her heels, and I sigh, placing my phone and my keys in the pockets of my sweats (yes I am wearing _sweats. _Marta and Port obviously judged me for it – they'd never wear stuff _normal people _wear. Eye roll…), following them out reluctantly.

If Chad's at Sonny's house when we arrive… this isn't gonna go down well.

* * *

><p>We arrive at Sonny's house, and my two "friends" flounce up to the door, and Port delicately knocks on the door, making sure she doesn't damage her latest nail-job. A few seconds later, a skinny, mid-twenties guy with dark hair and brown eyes opens the door and looks at us each in turn. Hmm… Sonny sure has a young Dad… unless, maybe, this is her brother that we didn't even know she had…<p>

"Can I help you, girls?" He asks. Portlyn and Marta grin in a way that _they_ think is attractive, Portlyn twirling a length of hair around her finger. Ew.

"You can…" Marta says seductively. Sicko. "We were just wondering if Sonny was in… Sonny, our dear, _dear_ friend…" Kiss up.

"She left a few minutes ago." He shrugs, and I laugh quietly. He doesn't seem to pick up on (or care about) Marta's tone. Haha, I like this guy already!

"Oh…" Port pouts, "That's too _bad…_" I roll my eyes. Nothing can drag these girls down…

"You're Sonny's cast mates, right?" The man asks, scratching his head sleepily. Port and Marta grin, and I just nod at him, gesturing my gaze towards them and pulling a face. He laughs.

"Yup!" Marta takes his free hand and shakes it, "Marta Balatico."

"Portlyn Madison." Portlyn says, shoving Marta's hand away from the man and flashing him her brightest smile. He shakes his head slowly and looks past them to me.

"And you are?" He asks friendlily. I smile at him back.

"My name's Chastity." I say.

"Nice to meet you. Johnny." He replies, ignoring the two desperate girls in front of him. "Anyways, if you're looking for Sonny, she left – said she was going to Condor Studios to guest star on some show… uh, So Random?"

I gulp as Marta and Portlyn scream a "WHAT?" in his face.

Ohhh… no.

They both turn on their heels and leave, matched expressions of anger on their faces. I smile apologetically at the man and he just shrugs and waves me off.

"Oh, and for the record…" He shouts after us, "I'm a married man. Sonny's step-father. So, uh, thanks for your interest, but I'm not looking for love right now. Especially in two little girls like yourselves."

He smiles cheekily before waving and closing the door. I cover my mouth with my hand, hiding the big-ass grin on my face and the endless wave of laughter as I see the shared looks of shock and disgust on the idiot's faces as they get in the car. The whole drive to Condor Studios, they go on about how "he wasn't even that cute" and how "he totally digged me, but I was never gonna go out with him coz he was far too old". Ha. Yeah right. I'm gonna save this for some day – I may need it for some blackmailing. Heh ;)

* * *

><p>We arrive at So Random and decide to split up – Marta (reluctantly) goes to the Prop House (she hates being near anything <em>funny<em>), Portlyn goes to Marshall's office, and I volunteer to go to Sonny's dressing room. When I come up short there, I decide she'll probably be in Chad's dressing room. Sonny's totally suckered, and I know how secretive their friendship and/or relationship is, so they won't be hanging out in the Prop House with everyone else.

I reach the door with the blue letters to spell "CHAD" and open it curiously. I'm a little… shocked by the sight when I open the door, but nothing prepares me for what happens next…

"What the heck?"

A voice screams from behind me. I look behind me – Marta and Portlyn are stood there, mirrored expressions of shock. I look back at the scene in the centre of the dressing room – Chad is looking up at us, wide-eyed, while Sonny folds her arms and scowls.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" Marta screams at Chad. He pulls a face immediately, shoving Sonny off of him forcefully.

"Your stupid _cast-mate _here is what _happened!" _He moans, and Sonny just laughs.

"Oh, _I'm _to blame?" She asks.

"You heard me." Chad scowls, before turning back to face us, "_Sonny _here has pretty much made it her _mission _to bug me while she's guest-starring at So Random. So, she just sat here on my lap and started flirting!"

Sonny laughs, "I'm sorry…" She says, "_I _flirted with _you_?"

"Yes." Chad growls, "You're just a… a…" He gets up from his sitting position, "…A bully! You think you're so funny…"

"Yup." She grins, flicking her hair over her shoulder, "That's why I'm not a Random."

The two girls behind me laugh – I just roll my eyes. I see what's going on here – they're just pretending to fight so that we forget that we saw them cuddling. Of course, I can see past the disguise, but Port and Marta are just gazing at them, kind of smirking. Obviously, they're buying this silly fight. Well, they're not that smart… it's understandable.

Chad laughs, "You do realise… you're guest starring this week, right?"

Sonny growls, "O-only coz Mr Condor _told _me to." She stutters. I gulp – her act is falling apart.

Chad picks it up though. He grins cheekily, "Really, Sonny? Really?"

"Really!" She yells.

"Well, fine!" Chad says stepping uncomfortably close to her, sort of threatening. She stands tall on her heels – she looks just as tall as he is.

"Fine!" She huffs in his face.

"Good!"

"Good!" She yells, "Ugh!" She throws her hands up in the air, storming out of the room for dramatic emphasis. Port and Marta follow her out, but I stay grounded, smiling knowingly at Chad. He stands there for a few seconds, swaying forwards and backwards on the spot nonchalantly, before looking up at me with soft eyes, "You still here?" He asks. I just nod.

"Well played, Chad." I say, praising him, "Tell the same thing to your best friend for me."

I expect him to yell at me, to protest, to deny everything and kick me out, but instead he just smiles kindly and nods. "Will do." He says. At this moment, footsteps enter the dressing room behind me, padding softly against the floor.

"Chad!" A voice shouts desperately. A grinning Sonny Munroe runs up to Chad, past me, and hugs him around the waist, and he wraps his arms around her back. They look… sweet together. Can't deny it.

"Sonny." He whispers into her hair, rocking her side to side, "It's okay, honey."

"I know." She laughs lightly, "I just needed to hold you… I just got confronted by Portlyn and Marta and they started saying how pathetic you were and stuff and it took everything I had to not tear their heads off."

Chad chuckles, "So, what's with the hug?"

Sonny shrugs shyly, "You calm me down." She says. I "aww" – it's like I'm watching one of those cutesy movies!

"Don't tell anyone." Sonny mumbles to me, seeming to finally notice my presence, although her face is still planted deep in Chad's chest. He's rubbing her back soothingly, and he's breathing softly into her hair. They look… so comfortable, so safe – they look just like a couple. I don't say that though – they're just gonna deny it again. I might as well just leave them alone and wait until they figure it out themselves.

"I won't." I say, "I've known about this for ages – I haven't spilled anything yet, have I?"

Chad shrugs, "Suppose not." He shoots me a warm, friendly smile, "Thanks Chastity."

"No problem!" I grin, "It just feels good to be on the inside for once. You'll have to tell me _everything _later on the phone though, Sonny."

She lets out a joking moan, and I laugh, waving and leaving the two of them alone.

Zora's POV

After Chad leaves to take Sonny to her dressing room, the air in the Prop House is really weird. Grady and Nico start talking to each other about what hell Sonny may cause while she's here, why she's even here, stuff like that. Tawni just takes a seat on the couch, shaking a little. She places her head in her hands and shakes it slowly, before sitting back up, sighing deeply, and resuming with her make-up.

I watch her – I'm the kind of person who just does that. So what? She seems a little shaken by Sonny's arrival – earlier she was bad, but now she just seems like she's seen a ghost. Well, this is totally un-Tawni.

And then, she gives me the biggest shock of all.

"If she does anything to Chad, I'mma break her pretty little face." She growls, wringing her hands around each other.

So that's how I've ended up crawling in the vents. Well, Tawni seems convinced that Sonny is going to hurt Chad. I'll go find them – it's not a problem. I'm sure everything's fine – Chad and Sonny are probably just having one of their weird fights. That's what's delaying him, surely. If they weren't fighting, Chad would've just dropped her off at her dressing room, ignored a rude sarcastic insult of hers and walked right back.

Considering he hasn't come back yet and it's been like 10 minutes, something must be going on. So I've been sent by someone (um, Tawni, duh) to investigate. Eh, I'm cool with that – investigations are my speciality…

I'm crawling through the vents when I hear a happy laugh come from a girl's voice. I pause by the gap in the vent and peer out. My mouth drops open at what I see.

Chad. Sonny. Sat on Chad's couch. Cuddling.

They're talking about "kissing" or something, on top of a hill. Then Sonny mentions Tawni and Chad tells her they're not dating. And then, the weirdest bit comes…

"What does she have that makes her any better than you?" Sonny asks him, after he tells her something about how someone like Tawni wouldn't want to be with someone like him.

"She's pretty," Chad says, "she's Hollywood born and bred, she's got confidence, she gets all the guys…"

"You're better." Sonny interrupts, "You're from Wisconsin – a much better place to be – you've got confidence. She's got _cockiness. _It won't get her anywhere. And as for the whole "pretty" thing…"

"What?" Chad says. I narrow my eyes, wondering the exact same thing.

Sonny throws a pillow at him. "You're not such a bad looker yourself." I sigh in relief. Well, that's not as bad as I was expecting… but still. Why is Sonny being so nice to him? Why are they talking about nearly kissing? Why are they _cuddling?_

These are not questions even an eleven year old spy can answer.

Nope.

Chad and Sonny then stop talking, pretty much, and then just sort of sit there in silence. It's not an awkward silence, though… they seem comfortable… _too_ comfortable… it gets worse when she rests her head on his shoulder, and he puts his arm around her back.

This. Is. _Not_. Good.

Chad's dressing room door opens and the two jump apart. I smile slyly. _Good_.

"What the heck?" Three of the Falls girls are stood in the doorway, glaring at Chad and Sonny. Oh, nice to see I'm not the only one who's shocked to see them… like _that._

"What the hell are you doing? One of them – Marta, I think – screams at Chad. it takes everything I have to not jump down there and slap them all. Marta, for talking to Chad like that, and Chad and Sonny, for doing what they were doing… whatever it was. I'm too young to know.

Chad isn't smiling anymore though – neither is Sonny. They're both just sort of… suddenly angry. Chad looks really jittery, and Sonny is scowling irritably.

"Your stupid _cast-mate _here is what _happened!" _Chad groans. What the heck? Has he forgotten what he was actually doing like, 30 seconds ago?

Sonny laughs emptily. "Oh, _I'm_ to blame?" _Yes. You've gone and messed with Chad's head. _I wonder if that's what wave-length _he's_ on…

"You heard me." Chad says, shooting an accusing look at her. "_Sonny _here has pretty much made it her _mission _to bug me while she's guest-starring at So Random. So, she just sat here on my lap and started flirting!"

While he hisses and spits and continues to accuse Sonny of flirting, I realise something. He's saying that Sonny was flirting with him… but truthfully, he was flirting right back.

Sonny laughs again. She seems to just take it as a joke. "I'm sorry…" She says, "_I _flirted with _you_?"

"Yes." Chad says, turning to Sonny and getting up from sitting on the couch. "You're just a… a… a bully! You think you're so funny…"

"Yup." Sonny says, flicking her hair back. I have to admit, even though I'm annoyed with Chad right now, Sonny and her _Sonny_ attitude just continues to rile me up further. "That's why I'm not on So Random."

I can't help but growl at that myself. Especially when two of the three Falls girls _laugh._ I could hit them. Oh well, I'll save it for some big prank later…

"You do realise… you're guest starring this week, right?" Chad says, raising an eyebrow mockingly. Ok, I have to admit, although I'm angry at the guy right now, he has an especially good point. Nice one, you two-faced hypocrite.

"O-only coz Mr Condor _told _me to." Sonny begins to trip over her words. Hmm… hold on here. Is Chad… winning here?

"Really, Sonny? Really?" Chad says with a mocking grin.

"Really!" Sonny yells. I have to hold in my laughs. Ha. Chad _is _winning.

I'm still incredibly mad at him though.

"Well, fine!" Chad says. I don't like how close he steps towards her. It looks weird. It's kind of threatening, but the look on his face is mocking.

"Fine!" She screams. She, like Chad, also looks is like she's having fun here.

Hmm.

"Good!"

"Good!" Sonny stomps out of the room, and two of her weird accomplices leave the room too, following like dogs at her heels. One of them, Chastity, I think, stays. I watch with very mixed feelings – I'm contemplating on whether or not I'd go down there and rip her head of if she said something mean to him. Part of me feels like he actually _deserves _it…

To my surprise, she doesn't shout his head off. She doesn't bite or bark or scream or yell. She just folds her arms, scanning Chad up and down, a smile toying at her lips. Chad tries to ignore her presence, but it really fails.

"You still here?" He asks after a few seconds, and she just nods very slowly.

"Well played, Chad." She says after a brief pause. I blink. Well played? She's praising him? And… _played? _He was… _playing_? With _what_? "Tell the same thing to your best friend for me."

"Will do." He smiles.

My mouth forms a little 'o' of surprise. Best… friend?

That springs up the question of… whom?

Well, that question is answered quickly.

"Chad!" A shaky voice can be heard before seen, and a small bundle of hair and designer clothing runs in. Even from my obstructed view, I can see very clearly.

Chad. And Sonny. Hugging.

_Again_.

"Sonny…" Chad murmurs softly. He looks so comfortable there, rocking her gently on the spot while she… sobs? Sobs… into his shirt. What the…? "It's okay, honey." He hums.

"I know." She gives him a weak laugh, "I just needed to hold you… I just got confronted by Portlyn and Marta and they started saying how pathetic you were and stuff and it took everything I had to not tear their heads off."

…Okay. Now I'm confused. And that does _not _happen often.

Chad chuckles. "So, what's with the hug?"

Sonny's reply shocks me, "You calm me down." She says.

I leave straight away after she says that.

I think I've seen more than enough.

For the first time in my days of eavesdropping, I feel like I've seen _far_ too much.

Sonny's POV

"Sonny!" Portlyn grabs my wrist and swirls me around. Ugh. Go away! Leave me alone so I can go back and hug Chaddy!

"What?" I reply impolitely, folding my arms.

"What was _that_?" Marta says. I would be worried that she was angry if it wasn't for that laughing look in her eyes that is somewhat mocking.

"Just Chad being…" I roll my eyes lightly. I don't want to get into this. "…a Random." I finish with a light chuckle.

Marta snorts, "Damn, right! A _pathetic_ Random, for sure…"

I blink, "Um, excuse me?"

"I mean," Port continues, "Did you see how he was _flirting_ with you? Honestly, and he had the nerve to say _you_ were flirting with _him_!"

"Sad little Random…" Marta says. That makes me clench my fists. I hide them behind my back, hoping they haven't noticed them or we could be heading for a big explosion…

"I don't even know how you're gonna put up with those losers all week, Sonny." Portlyn says, shaking her head and tutting. I wish I could just smack her in the face.

"I'm going to have to." I say, "Or I might lose my job." That's probably true. When Mr Condor heard about my little guest appearance idea, he jumped at the chance to give his two highest-earning casts a chance to "spend some quality working time together". I think he's just hoping that we get along and _don't _tear each other's faces off.

"I might as well just get on with it, like the professional I am." I say. The anger is slightly noticeable in my voice, but Port and Marta are so ignorant they probably don't hear it. They wouldn't care anyway.

The two walk off at that moment, waving me a goodbye. I keep my clenched fists hidden behind my back, and I just smile at them falsely. I stick my tongue out behind their backs, and then I bolt.

Right back to Chad's room.

"Chad!" I squeal, flinging myself into his arms. He's always so warm, and he has that Chad smell. It smells natural, comforting. I pretend I don't know that Chastity is still in the room. She knows that we're friends. This isn't going to be too shocking or breaking news to her.

"Sonny." Chad whispers. He rocks me gently, like I'm a baby. Well, I am close to sobbing into his chest. "It's okay, honey." He coos. Seriously. How do I deserve such an incredible friend as Chad?

"I know." I say, laughing weakly, "I just needed to hold you… I just got confronted by Portlyn and Marta and they started saying how pathetic you were and stuff and it took everything I had to not tear their heads off."

"So, what's with the hug?" He asks. I shrug softly.

"You calm me down." I confess weakly. I hear Chastity sigh happily and I groan a little. Oh no… she'd better not be thinking what I think she's thinking…

Wait.

"Don't tell anyone." I say. I avoid looking at her, though… I'm too much of a coward to do so. My weak voice reflects that.

"I won't." She says, "I've known about this for ages – I haven't spilled anything yet, have I?"

"Suppose not." Chad says, still stroking my back like I'm a little puppy. "Thanks Chastity." He says.

"No problem!" She says, "It just feels good to be on the inside for once. You'll have to tell me everything later on the phone though, Sonny."

I roll my eyes and groan. Great. Interrogation. That'll be _fun. _

I listen to her leave, but I don't dare to tear myself away from Chad. I can't find the confidence to let him go.

After a few minutes, he prises me off of him and smiles at me while I pout at him. "We've got to go to rehearsals." He tells me explanatorily.

I groan, "Do we have to?"

"We _have _to."

Chad says, before smirking when he sees the puppy-pout on my face, "C'mon, if we don't show up in a few minutes, after we just left the Prop House _together_, aren't they gonna get a _little _suspicious? And what makes it worse – Tawni is _already _suspicious. We can't risk it."

I fold my arms, sighing tenaciously. "Fine." I mumble.

"Fine." Chad says.

"Good."

"Good!" He laughs, "So, I'll go back, do my _thang_ with the Randoms, maybe you could show up in a few minutes or so…?"

"Okay." I say, waving to him as he walks out, "I'll see you soon."

"See ya." He says, walking to the door.

Walking out.

Uncontrollably, I run up behind him and hug him one last time.

"I'll miss you." I tell him. He chuckles quietly.

"I'll miss you too." He says. "But it'll only be a few minutes, yeah?"

I suddenly realise how overly clingy and possessive I'm being. I let go of him, brushing an imaginary speck of dust off my scarily short denim skirt. "Yeah." I say, feeling blushes creeping up on my cheeks. "I'll see ya then."

He shoots me one last smile, before leaving, the door clicking behind him.

The room suddenly feel empty. It's silent – a contrast to earlier with the girls in here, for sure.

I slump down on the couch, flicking through my pictures on my phone. I come across one of me and Chad, in my room, him holding my guitar and pulling a face and me sticking two fingers up behind his head to signify bunny ears and sticking my tongue out. It's a picture from Friday night, back before all the craziness of the weekend.

I sit back in the couch, resting my head on the brown leather, smiling at the pictures. There's about 20 of me and Chad from that night, messing about, having fun. I miss that. Ever since Saturday, that… _awful _night… I've been on my toes. I mean, I've been so much more afraid that Chad's gonna leave me, and I'm gonna take any chances with this friendship. Not anymore.

I then start to worry. Am I being freaky? Am I being possessive? Am I obsessing over the best friend I've ever had even though I've only known him for three or four months? I sure hope I'm not scaring him or anything… I don't wanna end up scaring him away. I don't know how I could cope if I did that to him… to _me._

My phone suddenly starts to ring – Avril Lavigne's "Innocence" – and I smile.

"Hello?"

"Get down here, Sonny." Chad says rudely. I laugh. Obviously he's with the Randoms.

"On my way, best-y friend-y!"

I can almost imagine him roll his eyes, "You're ridiculous." He mutters, "Just get here."

I smile.

"On my way."

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I smooth down my clothes and taking a deep sigh.

It here comes. My debut on So Random it is only just beginning…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooohhhh, what about that? Zora has seen them! That's not gonna be good... :P And Sonny's guest appearance on So Random... Who's excited? This will get interesting, believe me... ;)**

**So so soooooo...Could you review? Pretty please? We're only 16 from 400! Let's do this! *pumps fist in the air*. **

**Laters!**

**~Amy x**

**PS: LWMS and TDLOCDC on the way! ;D**


	28. Risky Exposures

**A/N: *blows party blower* WHOOO! Have you guys, like, seen that review count? It's over 400! How did that happen so quickly? Like, seriously? xP**

**swac twilight14 - AGH! You know I can't say no to those faces! Lol, so here's the chap :P**

**channyfan83 - Another one? Gosh. I'm honoured that you guys think that.**

**EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - You, like, bombarded me with reviews! Again! So thank you... so so much! Love yoouuuu! :D**

**Okay, enough with me, you're here to read! So... let's get this thing started!**

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance... This sentence always depresses me :(**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27 - Risky Exposures<strong>

Chad's POV

The second I walk into the Prop House, I _know _something's up. My friends are sat in a circle around the table in the centre of the room, talking in hushed voices. They don't seem to notice me enter.

In the centre of it all, is the little 11 year old pigtailed spy known as Zora Lancaster.

"Just don't mention it to him when he comes back." She whispers. _When _he_ comes back?_ Are they talking about me? "I'll talk to him later."

"Are you sure about that?" Tawni says in a low voice that sends a shiver down my spine. "Let me do it – I'll talk some sense into _both _of them…"

I stagger back a little, suddenly fearing for myself, but I trip on something which makes a small clanging noise. It's only small, but it alerts the Randoms of my presence anyway. I take a deep breath and wave at them each in turn, pretending I _didn't_ just hear the last ten seconds of their conversation which seemed to be about _me_.

Their heads shoot up at me, and each of them folds their arms when they notice me. Apart from, that is, Tawni, who is clenching and unclenching her fists, repetitively, looking like she's finding it hard to not explode at someone… probably at me.

"Hey guys…" I say innocently, raising a careful eyebrow, "Have I done something wrong?"

"You haven't." Nico says darkly. "But the _Drama Queen _has."

"Sonny?" I blink and remain pretty still, even though on the inside I'm shaking. Oh no… please say they haven't… "What did she do?" I ask. Tawni walks over and puts a supportive, manicured hand on my shoulder, and it takes every ounce of politeness I have not to shove her off irritably. It's gonna take a long time, getting used to the fact that she has… you know… _those _feelings for me.

"Don't worry about it, you." She coos. I shudder a little in almost-fear, but she doesn't seem to notice. "We'll deal with it later…"

Zora clears her throat loudly, and Tawni just rolls her eyes.

"_Zora _will deal with it later." She corrects herself. I look away from Tawni for a second and look at Zora. I just look at her, to see if I can get any clues. But, sadly, she's as hostile and secretive as ever, and I give up. I'm gonna have to wait until _later, _I guess…

Great.

"Speaking of the _diva…_" Grady finally speaks up, "Where is she?"

"In my dressing room." I say, but regret it immediately. Tawni tenses at my side.

"She's _where_?" She growls, gritting her teeth.

"In… my dressing room…" I say, less confident this time, "She was just being annoying, following me around and stuff, so I just left her in there. I swear, this week's gonna be hell, with her guest-starring..." I finish with a disgusted eye roll, hoping to regain the respect from my friends that seems to have suddenly vanished…

An approving grunt sweeps through the room, as everyone, apart from the still-suspicious Zora, nods and agrees with my comment. Okay, I'm safe… for now, at least.

"So… we have some sketches to write." Nico says, "Why don't you invite the _princess_ down and we'll work on some sketches for her?"

I take out my phone, sighing reluctantly. If these guys are suspicious about… you know… I have to be careful with Sonny. I dial her number rather than speed-dialling her – that wouldn't look too good to the Randoms if I had _her_ on _speed dial _– and hold my phone up to my ear, tapping my foot impatiently. After a few seconds, she answers.

"Hello?" She says. I can almost imagine her smiling.

"Get down here, Sonny." I say, making sure that my friends can hear the loathing in my tone. Sonny seems to pick up on it too, but she perfectly understands what it means. _I'm with the Randoms, just stick with it._

"On my way, best-y friend-y!" She giggles. I'm glad my friends can only hear my half of the call…

"You're ridiculous." I mutter, glaring pointedly at the phone, "Just get here."

"On my way." She says, before hanging up. I grunt, throwing my phone down onto the green couch and collapsing down there with it.

"This should be fun." I murmur sarcastically.

I mean it, though, I really do.

I just don't know whether the sarcasm is real or not.

* * *

><p>Sonny arrives about 20 minutes later, making a scene the moment she steps through the door. It takes everything I have to not explode with laughter.<p>

"I'm here!" She sings, "Your lives just got better!" I roll my eyes good-naturedly. Suite Life references? Okay… **(Sorry, couldn't resist! SLOD finished recently for us in the UK and I miss it… :'/)**

"More like _worse…_" Tawni mumbles, and everyone apart from me and Sonny chuckle and snort inaudibly. Sonny flounces over to join us at the table on the opposite side of the Prop House to the door. She scans the table, but the only chair left is the one on right on the foot of the table, next to me (convenient, huh?). She mumbles something rude under her breath and slowly sits down, linking her fingers, placing her elbows on the table and resting her head on her joined hands.

"So…" She says, "How's it goin'?"

"Well, we've got, um, two sketches so far… no thanks to you..." I add the last part in a hushed voice so only my cast can hear, and they snigger softly. All the awkward suspicions seem to have gone – from Nico and Grady, that is. Zora glares at me and Sonny occasionally, and Tawni does too.

Uh oh. Maybe Tawni's told Zora what she knows, or at least thinks she knows, about me and Sonny? Maybe they're in cahoots to get me and Sonny to come clean?

I shake the idea out of my head. No, that wouldn't happen… you know… _maybe_…

"Lemme see them!" Sonny says, ignoring the quiet laughs that are still going on from Nico and Grady. She snatches the paper off of me, sceptically eying the ideas we've already written.

"Okay…" She says slowly, "A Princess sketch… haven't you already got one like this? The Real Princesses of Something-Or-Other?"

"New Jersey." Tawni snaps. **(Heh. Don't expect me to write original sketches…)** She's very protective of her sketches, and that one's one of her best. "Yes. It's a recurring sketch. Which means, we can do it more than once. Which, we are going to. Problem?"

Sonny sneers, proud that she's got to Tawni already, "Not at all."

"Hold on a minute." Nico says to Sonny, a large grin spreading across his face, "How did you know about the sketch?"

Grady grins, "You _do_ watch our show!" He concludes.

Sonny and I share a look of humour. She _does_ watch the show – I've shown it to her, on a couple of occasions, and she says she's hooked. She also says she watched it once without me and said it was horrific, and that I made it bearable. Haha, whatever you say, Sonshine.

"Please!" She snorts, "Me? Watch _that_? Ha! No, no, sweetie… I have people who watch it for me."

"Mmm…" I say, grinning, once again "siding" with my friends, "'Course you do, _princess_."

She smirks, elbowing me jokingly, before noticing the eyes on us and shoving me slightly more forcefully. I shove her right back, rolling my eyes.

"Diva." I mutter. She pushes me again, and, not wanting to look weak in front of my friends, I push her right back.

That turns out to be a mistake.

I wince as I hear a clatter, followed by a small yelp beside my legs. I look at the space where Sonny's chair previously was, but it's fallen to the floor. And with it, went its occupant too.

"Ouch." Sonny mumbles quietly. "That hurt."

I lift my head up from under the table, smiling gingerly at my cast mates who are all looking at me with mirrored looks of shock and slight amusement. I shrug tentatively.

"Oops."

Oops indeed.

* * *

><p>I carry Sonny to the nurse's office straight away. Yup. <em>Carry<em>. And no, she is not really that badly injured. Just, considering she's in character right now, we need to remember one thing: Sonny Munroe is a _drama actress. _Exaggeration is her _specialty. _

And she's pretty good at it too. She lies in my arms, moaning and yelling every other second while I roll my eyes and tell her, nicely, but still forcefully, to shut up.

And to make things worse? My cast are following us. So I can't comfort her or apologise… even though she's not _actually _hurt.

Nope.

She's not.

…I hope.

She goes on moaning for a few seconds before it gets too much to bear, even for me, the caring friend.

"Munroe, wanna quieten down a little? You're disturbing everyone we pass." I tell her.

"Not to mention getting on _our_ nerves as well…" Nico mumbles from behind. Sonny doesn't seem to hear.

"It just. Hurts. So. _Much!" _She wails, placing a hand on her forehead and sighing dramatically.

"_What_ hurts, Sonny?" I say, and she just continues moaning.

"EVERYTHING!" She wails.

"Diva." I grumble, turning a corner to the nurse's office. I sit her down in a chair outside the door and she looks up at me with a mocking pout. "Happy now?"

She nods, obviously proud of herself. Well, the act is going pretty well, I guess…

**(200 PAGES ON WORD! Happy 200th page, QTO! *parties*… continue :3)**

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><p>"Alright, Miss Munroe…" The middle-aged nurse holds Sonny's wrist out, looking more like a palm-reader than a nurse, "Where is the pain coming from?"<p>

"Everywhere." Sonny mumbles. The nurse shoots her a "look" and she rolls her eyes. "_Here_," She says, pointing to a place on her left wrist, "and _here_…" She pats the side of her left leg. "When I fell, I reached out to stop myself with my hand and it sort of made a weird noise. My hand and my leg took most of the casualties, I think."

"No head bumps?" The nurse checks, "You don't have a concussion?"

"Nope." Sonny says, "I'm fine."

Nico snorts beside me, "What happened to '_OW! THE PAIN IS AGONISING! OW! TELL MY FAMILY I LOVE THEM! OH, BOO HOO, I'M GONNA DIE!'?"_

I can't help but chuckle along with the others at my friend's impression. He has a point – what happened to the exaggerating?

"Wait outside, please." The nurse tells us, eying each of in turn over her glasses. "All of you. In fact, go back to your show, if you want."

"Gladly." Tawni says flatly, unfolding her arms to reach for the door handle.

"Even me?" I say, as my cast head to the door. I am fully aware of the looks shot my way at that sentence – from everyone in the room. Even Sonny, who just gapes at me in confusion.

"Yes." Nurse Allan says, raising an eyebrow at me, "You are included in the phrase '_all of you'._"

I smile apologetically, "I was the one who caused this – can't I just stay to check she's okay? Please?"

"Chad?" Zora whispers behind me. I ignore her – I don't have time to ask permission from my cast.

I give the nurse my brightest smile, and she caves in. "Fine." She says, leaving Sonny on the couch and taking a seat at her desk, typing something into her computer, "You may stay."

I grin in success, but, judging by the looks on their faces, my cast aren't in approval. "I'm staying cos I feel it's my duty - it's my fault she's hurt." I tell my cast in one quick breath.

They don't seem to have that much trust in me.

Zora slams the door behind everyone, and I turn back to face Sonny, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

"You okay?" I ask her, placing a hand on her good hand. She smiles.

"I'm fine." She says, "Glad you're here."

I can see the slight sarcasm in her eyes and remember that we are still around the nurse. Still around someone who doesn't know about us. Our _friendship_, that is.

"Good." I say, "I was hoping you could hold out for longer than that, Munroe." I elbow her, a lot softer this time, "Obviously you're weaker than I thought."

"Hey." She says pointedly, shoving a finger in my face, "Don't try that on me, Cooper. I could tear you in two."

"I'd like to see that." I say, poking her left arm. She tries not to wail and I grin at her.

"Softy."

"Jerk."

"Oh, you wanna go there?"

"I so _do!"_

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Somehow, during our fight, Sonny has ended up placing her head on my shoulder, and I'm stroking her hair. She makes a noise that resembles a purring cat and I lie back and relax, breathing slowly, until Nurse Allan focuses her attention back on us and we snap back into our previous positions – sat on opposite sides of the couch, avoiding eye contact.

As the nurse wraps a bandage around Sonny's hand (who pretends to refuse to believe that she is perfectly fine), I feel my own hand creep slowly back to hers. I place it on her right hand and stroke it slowly. She looks up at me and smiles.

"Thank you." She whispers.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day goes by totally normally. Well, kind of. The Randoms are still hostile to Sonny (which I suppose is understandable) but she keeps flashing her bandage at them to show how "damaged" she is and how they can't touch her because of it. The two of us have a joke about it whenever we can, anyway. It's kind of funny to watch their reactions.<p>

Let's just say I'm certainly not my cast's favourite person at the moment either – it's obvious. It seems that someone has to be with me and Sonny every second so that we're not alone. Yup. Awkward. I just hope this is just a one-off thing that they're doing because of the fact that I stayed with Sonny in the nurse's office.

Surely they won't have figured out about mine and Sonny's little… friendship…

Sonny leaves at four, an hour before everyone else, which is good. It gives me time to reassure my cast that I am still on their side with this rivalry, because I'm sure after today they highly doubt it.

So I go all out in my attempts. I moan to each one of them about how crap and hellish that day was and how much I can't wait for this week to be over. Now, I'm not a liar, I hardly lie… apart from when it comes to hiding this friendship from the world. I feel bad about it, sure… but what the Randoms don't know won't hurt them.

Right?

Wrong.

I look at my watch – it's now 5:30. Sonny, Grady, Nico and Tawni have gone. Zora and I are in the Prop House, on our own – actually, Zora is in her sarcophagus. I've just been sat here for the last thirty minutes, checking over all the draft copies of our sketches which we'll work on and perfect in tomorrow's rehearsals. We have some pretty good sketches lined up, and even Sonny has admitted (to me and me only) that they're going to be great.

Calling it a day, I place the pile of papers on the table in the centre of the Prop House, stretching tiredly and strolling out of the room.

"Hold it right there."

I pause at the sound of Zora's cold voice. I turn around slowly – she is no longer in her sarcophagus – she's stood about two feet in front of me. I gulp.

"Everything okay, Zora?"

She shakes her head slowly.

"We need to talk." She says. Her tone sends a cold shiver down my spine.

"About what?" I give her my kindest smile, and sigh internally with relief as the scowl on her face fades away. Am I safe?

"Don't worry about it." She says, "Not important. See you tomorrow, right?"

"Right." I grin, "See you then."

I escape out of the room as fast as I can.

I'm safe. Sonny is safe. We're both _safe. _

For now.

Zora's POV

I watch Chad as he goes to leave the Prop House through the eye holes in the sarcophagus **(does the sarcophagus have eye holes? I don't know. Maybe. Anyway)**. Right there, right then, as he steps out of the room, I decide:

I need to stop him, and talk to him. He needs to be scolded, for what I saw this morning, between him and Sonny. He needs to be scolded for being a traitor, a liar, a phoney. He needs to be taught a lesson for being _friends _with Sonny Munroe, our _worst _enemy. And then he was _nice _to her? Today he's been flirty and gentlemanly and _nice, _which, although it's not completely weird, coming from Chad (apart from the flirty bit – I've never really seen him flirt), he was being all those things, to _Sonny_.

And now he needs to be punished for it.

I get out of the sarcophagus, shaking a little, honestly not having the faintest clue what I'm supposed to say to Chad. I'm not one for confronting – I just watch from the shadows prank my enemies without them knowing. But I told the others I'd talk to him about what I saw, so here I am, doing just that. Confronting the enemy.

It feels weird calling Chad an _enemy. _It's worrying that I feel the _need_ to call him an enemy.

"Hold it right there."

I try to sound scary, but I'm not very good at it. I just said – I'm not one to confront people. I'm more of a shadow person.

Chad turns around to face me. I can see he's tense; he knows he's been caught. Even the smile on his face can't hide that.

"Everything okay, Zora?" His voice cracks nervously. Good, he's anxious. I suppose that helps this be a little bit easier… if he's nervous, it makes me feel slightly less so.

I shake my head, "We need to talk." I say darkly.

"About what?"

He smiles at me, kindly, genuinely. Ugh, why is he too darn kind? It's hard to hate him for what he's done when he can be like _that. _It's not like I have a crush on him or anything – ew, I'm not Tawni – but still. I'm not evil. I may act it, but I'm not. I have feelings. I, like others, melt at a smile like _that. _I swear Chad is a male version of those evil mermaids who charm pirates and stuff and then eat them.

Yuck.

"Don't worry about it." I say, unable to continue in case he a) is a mermaid-thing and eats me, or b) gets upset about it. Chad's so innocent, and way too sweet…

Ugh. "Not important." I say, having given in, "See you tomorrow?"

His smile grows. It makes me sick. "Right. see you then." He says.

He leaves immediately.

Coward.

Sonny's POV

_All my life I've been good, but now, I'm thinkin' what the hell…_

I pick up my phone, checking the caller ID and rolling my eyes.

"Hello, Chastity." I say.

"Interrogation time!" She giggles.

"Oh, yippee." I drone uninterestedly, "So exciting."

"It is for me!" She moans, "C'mooooonnnn! I wanna hear the story!"

"On one condition–" I say, "You listening?"

"I am." She says eagerly.

"You can't tell _anyone. Promise?_"

"Got it." She says without thought, "Promise. Go ahead."

I take a deep breath, "Back in the beginning, Chad and I were enemies. I admit that. We fought, just like good little enemies. But to be honest, even from the beginning, I saw something in him that I hadn't seen in anyone else. He was kind. He was sweet. It was a nice change from all the annoying Hollywood people, you know?"

She stays silent, just makes a small sound in agreement – I suppose she's paying attention.

"Anyway," I continue, "So after a little while, we became a little more, um, friendly. Not in a weird way – we exchanged friendly glances, we talked, and we actually started to get along. He gained my respect with every little thing he did. And then, somehow, we became friends. It was cool. We sort of helped each other out in times of need and all that stuff. We weren't weirdly close, we were just… friends." I make certain to leave out the fact that at that time, I had a massive crush on him…

She doesn't need to know that, and it won't help in the "we're not dating" case in any way.

"Of course, we couldn't let anyone else know about our growing friendship – especially either of our casts. That wouldn't have gone down well – we were supposed to be enemies, right? And we couldn't risk people seeing us, hanging out, having fun together… so, of course, we had to carry on acting like we hated each other… So, that's what we did – you probably noticed. We fought around each other about the stupidest little things. But, at one point, it sort of… didn't end well."

"So, remember that time when he had a date with Eliza Markowski, when she guest starred on our show?" Silence. I presume she is nodding, "Well, it didn't end that well, and he was pretty bummed. The poor guy has rotten luck with relationships, it seems… anyway, so, to help him feel a little better, I decided to help him get revenge, and we went on a fake date – _fake, _Chastity." I have to make sure she's not gonna freak out at the word "date".

"Okay, okay, I get it…" She says, before going all gossipy again, "Continue. _Pleeeease_?"

"I'm just getting onto it!" I roll my eyes good-naturedly, going from a sitting position to lying on my bed on my stomach, crossing my legs in the air, pressing the phone carefully against my ear. "So, we succeeded in our little revenge on Eliza, but then… somethin' kind of weird happened." I can hear her gasp with anticipation, and take a deep breath, unsure if I really want to share this part with anyone. Even Chad and I haven't really talked about it for ages…

"We kind of… ended up kissing."

She squeals, "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! So, what happened then? He asked you out, right? I _soooo_ knew this would happen!"

"Chastity! _Chastity_!" I yell, trying not to get mad at the girl screaming my ear off on the other end of the line, "He did _not _ask me out!" She stops squealing, "He wasn't gonna, and even if he was, I hardly gave him a chance. I ran off."

"Why?" She asks. I bite my lip, not prepared to tell her that much…

"Too personal, hun." I say nonchalantly, "It's a different story."

"_Fine_…" She sighs limply, disappointedly. I don't care. I'm not letting Chastity – _anyone _but Chad – know the truth about my past. Chastity knows I was friends with Tawni, and that my dad is no longer around. That's it. She doesn't know the… pain that followed… and she's not gonna know. Like I said – far too personal for anyone besides Chad to know.

"Anyway, so after that, we sort-of got along for a day or two. We didn't really talk… I didn't exactly think it was a bright idea after I took off on him. But then, we both sort of had a run-in with Condor and his daughter…"

She gasps dramatically, "How did you survive?"

I laugh, happy the conversation is taking a slightly lighter turn, "With a lot of snap lying." I say with a chuckle, "It was a little frightening… but hey, I had Chad with me… my _friend." _I add the last bit just to stop her from screaming again. I bet Mom and Johnny can almost hear her downstairs…

"Anyway, that wasn't the worst part of that day…" She makes a little grunting sound in confusion, "I know, surprising." I giggle, "So, we were just chilling in my dressing room after the run-in with Condor, when Skyler came to the door, knocked on it, and told me it was time for rehearsals."

Chas gasps, "Busted?" He voice squeaks.

"No, luckily, Chad and I thought fast." I say, "We started a fake fight straight away, just like we'd been doing for a while. But then… Chad said something that… reminded me of something in my past…" It's hard choosing my words here. I am, after all, trying to avoid this topic, "I ran out, upset."

"Awww!" Chastity cries, "That's so sad. So what happened?"

"If you don't interrupt me, I'll tell you." I say mock-sternly. She makes a little grunting noise again, and I continue, "So, I went home, and Chad, being the lovely guy he is… he followed me home, and apologised."

"Aww…" She mumbles, "So this is when he asked you out?"

"Shut up Chas." I groan.

"Fine." She says sweetly. I can almost imagine her super-sweet smile. "Sorry."

"He _didn't_ ask me out," I say firmly, "He was kind to me, and he listened to me and my stupid little problems…" Understatement. My problems are not stupid and/or little. I wish they were… "He was super nice to me about everything that I've been through. He listened, he understood… so, somehow, right there, right then, he became the best friend I've ever had. We've been super close ever since." I finish with a mile-wide grin.

Chastity stays silent for a second, before she begins to squeal, "That is sooooo cute!" She coos, "So you guys are like, the best of friends and stuff?"

"I guess so." I say, "He's pretty awesome."

"He sounds it." She agrees.

"Well, I best hang up now… gotta be fresh for my So Random appearance this week!" I say in fake enthusiasm. I would be excited for this guest-starring on Chad's show thing, if it wasn't for the fact that the Randoms hate me, and seem to hate me more now that ever. I wonder why…

"Haha, good luck with that." Chas says, "Bye, hun!"

"Night!" I hang up my phone, and immediately, it jingles with my text tone. I fiddle for a second, surprised by the ring.

**From: Chad**

**We have a problem…**

I gasp, quickly typing a response.

**To: Chad**

**What happened? :O**

A few minutes later, my phone vibrates and rings under my hand. I lift it up to my face to read the text. My heart rate suddenly increases when I get a glimpse of the words.

**From: Chad**

**Zora was acting all weird. I think she might be… suspicious. I think she's seen something.**

My phone slips out of my hand.

Oh no… not another one.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go, that's that :) What did you think? Good? Bad? Awful? Slightly bearable? (I'm hoping for the first option...)**

**Review with your thoughts! I'd luuurrvvveeee to hear what you think! Let's keep this review count goin'! *pumps fists in the air***

**Bye bye y'all!**

**~Amy x**


	29. Operation: Friendship Flunk

**A/N: Heyy, I know, this ain't too bad of a late update now, is it? I'm quite proud. Well, kinda. It's not as long as some of the others, but hey, it's decent. I was just determined to update something either today or tomorrow, and QTO was the closest to done. Soo... here we are. :P**

**EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - Heyy! Haha, I love you too! But not in that way :P I love your reviews just so much... you always make me smile! And I forgot to answer your question from a couple of chaps ago! Yes, I do write songs. I have written one that will feature in this story, in fact, so... keep that in mind... *taps nose secretively*. I dunno whether it's any good or not, but I guess we'll find out when it features in... uh... 10-15 chapters time? Maybe? I'm not sure, I haven't planned that far ahead :P And I saw what you said in your DIKY review... LOVE YOU TOO MUCH!**

**Clumzee Wumzee - Haha. I always speak out loud when reading FF, like, say "aww" or somethin', and my family just look at me like, "Okay...?" Lol.**

**swac twilight14 - I've updated... now hold your side of the bargain ;)**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - Where are you hun? I miss you - you haven't reviewed in ages! Well, not that long, but it feels that way. :P**

**Okay... this A/N is probably already longer than the chapter, so lemme just say I don't own SWAC and get on with it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28 - Operation: Friendship Flunk<strong>

Chad's POV

**To: Allison**

**Zora was acting all weird. I think she might be… suspicious. I think she's seen something.**

About 30 seconds after I send my message to Sonny, she replies instantaneously, but she calls me this time.

"Hello?"

"We need a game plan." She says, "_Now. _We can't let any more people know about this!"

"I know…" I say warily, "Tawni and Zora are all suspicious, and Chastity and her weird little hunches…"

"Oh, we don't have to worry about Chastity anymore." Sonny says sweetly. I blink.

"Uh, what?" I say, biting my lip, "What did you do…?"

"Oh, don't sound so freaked out, Cooper!" She laughs, "It's not like I did something stupid! I just told her the story and made her promise not to tell anyone."

"You… did what?" I ask.

"I just told her the story about… us." I groan at the word "us". It doesn't sound right… Sonny seems to notice my distaste, "You know? The story of our friendship and stuff! She promised not to tell anyone, and Chastity, well, she may be totally crazy and a lover of gossip, but don't worry – I trust her. She's actually the only one of those morons I call my cast who I do trust. She won't tell a soul."

Slightly wary, I nod slowly, hoping that Sonny is right. "Okay… but as for everyone else, we have to cover up our story. If they start asking questions, we're gonna be in trouble."

"Exactly." Sonny sighs, "Which is why we need to sort it out. We need a big fight – a huge fight. Something that'll look good on the enemies side! Something that'll convince the Randoms that I'm that same drama queen and that you still hate my guts." She takes a deep breath, "Listen – I have a plan… Tomorrow, we start Operation: Friendship Flunk."

Tawni's POV

"You chickened out, didn't you?" Nico raises an eyebrow at Zora, who smiles sheepishly at us when she steps through the Prop House door.

"You could say that…" She says, "But you can hardly blame me! Chad, though he may be a traitor… he's still super friendly and scarily innocent. It wasn't the right time, anyway… I need to catch them together, just in case I was wrong…"

I wring my hands together, annoyed. This whole 'Chad and Sonny' thing is really getting to me. It seems like Chad – _my_ cast-mate, _my_ friend, _my_ crush – prefers (and is getting a little too _comfy_ with) Sonny Munroe.

I could hit them both. Hard.

Zora told us that yesterday she saw Chad and Sonny hanging out in Chad's dressing room. She says she didn't hear anything, and she didn't see much **(Yup, Zora didn't tell them **_**everything**_**…)**, but still. They were _hanging out. _They're supposed to be enemies, for crying out loud!

Something is going on between them…

And I don't like it.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Chad stomps into the Prop House like a grumpy little kid, arms folded, childish pout fixed on his lips. He slumps down on the couch, sighing loudly, dramatically. <em>See<em>? Sonny's making him _dramatic! _This. Is. Not. Good.

"What's up, buddy?" Nico asks, giving Chad a weird look. He lies back on the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"_Sonny's_ up." He says boredly, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

"What did she do?" I raise a cautious eyebrow. Trouble in paradise? _Ha_. That's what he gets for trying to be friendly with _that_ skank… **(Apologies…)**

He lets out a deep, cheesed-off breath, "She is the biggest diva you could ever come across…"

"We know that already." Zora says, "What did she _do, _though?"

We all listen eagerly, wanting to hear what could've got poor Chaddy so peeved about his little _friend._

Chad sits up on the couch, putting his hands together and looking it each of our faces in turn with a soft look. He blows his hair out of his face, before speaking.

"Okay, so, it started this morning, at like, nine. She called me, and started complaining about how she 'had nothing to wear'. I was like, I don't care. But, ugh, she honestly gets so worked up about the tiniest of things…"

So true. I remember when we stopped being friends… I hardly said anything to hurt her, and she yelled at me like I'd said something unforgivable! **(Yup, Tawni really **_**is **_**that ignorant… *eye roll*)** Is she melodramatic or _what_?

"So, anyway, that was barely anything, but then, I was all ready to leave for So Random, when, guess what? Sonny called me and said her car had broken down and that I, being her _servant_ for the week – I mean, what the heck? – had to come and pick her up. And then, as if that wasn't enough, having Sonny Munroe in my car, she then goes on and _on _at me about how minor I am and how horrid this week was gonna be and how she was only doing it cos Condor told her to." He finishes with a scoff, lying back in the chair and rolling his eyes rudely. "That girl riles me up the wrong way." He moans, before picking up the Tween Weekly magazine on the table and staying quiet.

Hmm. Nice acting, Chad. I almost believed you for a second.

Sonny's POV

I stand outside the Prop House doors, listening to the Random's conversation, debating when the best time would be to enter. Chad and I have our plan set, pretty much. I just need to make sure I come in at the right moment.

"That girl riles me up the wrong way." I hear Chad say to his cast. A couple of them mumble in agreement – sounds like the boys. Well, that makes sense. The boys don't know anything about Chad and I apart from what Tawni and Zora have told them, which probably isn't much.

_Hopefully_.

"So, speaking of the diva…" One of the boys – Grady, I think – speaks up, "Where is she now? If you drove her in?"

"In her dressing room." Chad says. "Which is better than her infecting _my _dressing room again… she'll probably be here soon. And, judging by what I left in there, she's not gonna be too happy when she comes…"

Murmurs of confusion sweep the room, and I pick this moment to make my "big entrance". Holding the fake spider Chad gave me as a "prank" as far from my body as possible, I storm in and shoot him a scowl.

"WHO. DID. _THIS_?" I scream. I watch as the boy Randoms (including Chad) smirk and chuckle, and I shoot them each a death glare.

"Good morning to you too, _princess_." Chad smiles in mock-sweetness. "I hope your dressing room was to your satisfaction."

If looks could kill… pretend looks, of course. "Was this you, _Cooper_?" I spit. He just smiles bitter-sweetly.

"Payback for those few _joyous_ minutes we spent together in my car." He says, his voice dripping with mockery. He gets up off the couch and walks towards the door.

"Don't you walk away from me!" I scream at him, going all-out on a huge temper tantrum. You know – stomping my foot, screaming, and the like.

"You can't tell me what to do." He retorts, not turning back, before striding out of the room, hands dug into his pockets. I snort, turning back to the Randoms.

"What's up with him?" I ask rudely. Tawni scowls at me.

"You, apparently…" She mutters, before picking up the magazine Chad was previously holding and flicking through it. I am fully aware of the angry glares shot my way then, so I flee to the opposite side of the Prop House, sitting there in silence and looking through my texts boredly. My phone suddenly sings out my text tone, and I look at the text.

**From: Chad**

**Phase 1 is a success! Phase 2 later, okay? :)**

I smile, typing in my reply carefully, ignoring the odd looks from the Randoms.

**To: Chad**

**During rehearsals. Got it?**

**From: Chad**

**Affirmative :P See ya later!**

"Who was that, Munroe?" Tawni asks me, raising an eyebrow, "Text from a friend?"

"None of your beeswax, Hart." I spit harshly, before turning my back on the Randoms and closing them out.

They still continue to stare to me.

Feeling their gaze on my back, I turn around slowly, smile at them sweetly, and then stick my tongue out. They gasp and scowl and groan as I slam my mouth shut, smile that same sweet smile, and turn my back to them again.

_Ha_.

* * *

><p>Rehearsals are –surprisingly – not bad.<p>

No, I mean it.

Besides all the rude and vulgar looks and words shared between Randoms and me (which, by the way, are mostly coming between me and Chad – we're _that_ good at our little plan), the sketches are actually really fun to perform. I especially like the Princess one – it's entertaining to put on that accent. I have an aunt who talks just like that, so it's hilarious.

And Chad is amazing, by the way.

As usual.

Duh.

Of course, I can't say that. Chad and I are continuing with our little plan – occasional random remarks and pranks and stuff. It's kind of fun, to be honest. Is that weird? Huh.

Anyway. Phase two – annoying each other during rehearsals – seems to go well. If the Randoms don't believe we hate each other's guts, Marshall sure does. The poor guy keeps wiping his forehead with a handkerchief every time we start a fight. Poor guy.

He has no idea what's coming next.

Phase three – train wreck.

"Okay, great rehearsals guys!" Marshall says with a smile. I think he's just glad we haven't ripped each other's faces off.

_Yet_.

"The sketches are really coming together, and you've worked really hard on them!" He goes on with his little inspirational speech. I just sort of blank out and let his words grate on… "I am glad to see you working well together… there may be a few problems…" His gaze meets mine and I just smile pleasantly, "…but I know with work, you will have them ready!"

Chad snorts next to me, folding his arms. Marshall raises an eyebrow at him.

"Everything okay, Chad?" He asks. Chad just nods. I let my mouth drop open, before smirking.

"Someone in a bad mood, _Chaddypoo_?" I ask him, knowing the nickname won't go down well. Tawni sure doesn;t like it; she makes a sad grunting sound. Ha. I know about her little crush on Chad. How sad.

Chad pulls a face. "Do _not _call me that, Munroe. I will break you for it."

I stifle a laugh, "Chad Dylan Cooper? _Harming someone? _Ha! I'd like to see _that_!"

"Oh dear…" Marshall mumbles, and I watch him taking out his handkerchief out of the corner of my eye. I click my tongue arrogantly, resting my hands on my hips and facing Chad. He does the same, but his arms are folded rather than on his hips. He models a look of annoyance, whereas I model the more humoured look.

"What is your _problem_, Sonny?" Chad hisses, clenching his fists. I watch out of the corner of my eyes as the Randoms begin to form a circle around us, as if we're about to break out into a fight. They watch, eager to see what will happen. "Sometimes you can be nice – like yesterday, for instance – but honestly… what, can you tell me, leads you to be so _horrid_?"

"What happened yesterday?" Tawni asks curiously. Chad sighs, not averting his gaze away from me. The fire in his eyes looks impressively real. I'm proud of my little Chaddy and his cute little acting…

Okay…that sounded better in my head than out-loud…

…Moving on…

"When Sonny was in my dressing room, she may have still been bigheaded and arrogant, but she was saying how she was excited to work with us. And then, this morning, she was moaning how she didn't want to and was only doing it for her job's sake! Seriously, Sonny… what is _wrong _with you?"

I let my mouth hang open for a moment, before speaking angrily. "Listen, _Cooper_, I don't know what you're trying to do here…"

"I'm not _trying to do_ anything!" Chad yells, "I want you to explain to me _why _you're such a _bitch!" _**(Sorry… It needed to be said)**

I gasp along with the circle of Randoms, kind of shocked at Chad's use of a swear word. I haven't heard him swear in ages… at least it helps fuel my false anger next.

"You don't know _half _of my story, Chad!" I shout, my voice cracking from the volume.

"Well, then, enlighten us." Chad says. His voice isn't raised now… it's low. Dangerously low. It sends a shiver down my spine – this kid is _too_ good.

"Do you think if I wanted to, I would?" I say. He shrugs.

"You tell us. C'mon, Sonny, _spill. _Or are you _scared_?" The angry look on his face fades and he sneers. We seem to have swapped expressions suddenly. Huh.

Each Randoms shares the same look of utter shock. They're probably just astonished by Chad's sudden mean behaviour. Not that they disapprove of it though. No – they're probably _cheering_ for him on the inside.

"_Chad_." I glower at him, "_Back off_."

"Or _what?_" He snorts, "I'm not scared of you _or _your precious little bad girl reputation. So _don't _think I'm going to cower away from this because _you _threaten me_._ Your reputation doesn't even scare me – you're just _hiding _behind it."

My fists clench along with my teeth. Letting out a deep sigh of "anger", I shake my head. I come right up in front of Chad's face, growling quietly.

"Don't push me anymore, _Cooper_." I murmur, "It's not funny. I could do a damn sight better at ruining your career than you could mine, and you damn well _know_ it." Before Chad can reply, I push my way between the two girl Randoms, and make my way to Chad's dressing room.

Well… that went well. Maybe a bit _too_ well…

I'm just a little scared by how close to the truth Chad's last sentence was… I just hope the Randoms didn't pick up on that.

Chad's POV

Watching Sonny's retreating figure, I realise just how much fun I was having during our little fight. A bit too much, perhaps? Sonny seemed a little freaked out by what I was saying, but maybe she was just acting? Maybe she was just riding with the fight? I sure hope so…

Well, whether I really have hurt Sonny or not, I know it was kind of worth it. After Sonny has left the room, Marshall tells us to go have a break, walking as quickly away as possible before anything else kicks off. Tawni walks up to me, slowly, leaving the circle that my friends seemed to have formed around me and Sonny. She taps me lightly on the shoulder, looking up at me with those cool blue eyes. Her massive heels make her just a bit taller than little Sonny, so only a little shorter than me. She bats her eyelashes softly before wrapping her arms around me. I try to be careful when I shove her off. She smiles at me gently, not seeming to notice that I'm not really attracted to her like she is to me.

"She's playing you, Chad." She says. I can hear the relief in her tone. "She's been trying to make it seem like she's your friend, like she's on your side, right?"

I nod. Wow, that excuse was practically gift-wrapped for me… thank you, Tawni Hart…

She her smile grows a little. I can see the relief in her eyes. Obviously I can do no wrong to her… and it seems she no longer believes that Sonny and I are "friends".

Thank goodness…

She places a kind hand on my shoulder, "Don't… don't let her get to you, Chad." She says softly, "I'd hate to see her do something to such a great guy like you."

She pats my shoulder once more before turning and walking off, the others following her.

And then, when no-one's looking, I shudder.

* * *

><p>I know where Sonny is. I just know her that well, so well that I know that she will be in my dressing room, waiting for me. So when I see her sat on the couch in my dressing room, smiling at a framed photo, I grin.<p>

Got it right.

I stride casually over to the centre of my room, slumping down on the couch next to her. I look at the picture in her hands – a framed one of me and her I left in here. I meant to take it home, in case anyone found it and questioned it. Too late. But hey, at least it's only Sonny who's found it.

This is another picture from that Friday night around my house, before that… odd weekend that followed. We're sat on my bed, her sticking her tongue out, me crossing my eyes, both of us looking hilariously stupid. I love moments when we can just hang out like that – no fights, no hiding, no Randoms… just _us_.

I put a tentative arm around her back, smiling at her. She looks up at me, smiles weakly, and then looks back down at the photo. I gulp. Uh oh.

"Hey." I say, silently hoping I didn't upset her. She sighs.

"Hi." She says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. She still continues to stare at that photo.

"Have I done something wrong?" I ask. She sits up, putting the picture back down on the coffee table and laughing gently.

"No, no, sorry!" She giggles, "I was just… deep in thought."

"Oh." I sigh in relief, "Well, what were you thinking about?"

She shrugs, "Just… stuff. Us. The Randoms. What would happen if that little fight back there didn't work…"

"It worked." I assure her proudly, "Trust me. Tawni sure seemed to believe it, and she's our biggest problem. Don't worry – everything's gonna be fine. Even if we do someday get ratted out, well, don't worry. We'll be fine."

"You promise?" She asks, giving me those adorable puppy-dog eyes. I then remember how fragile this girl really is. With a friendly smile, I speak after several seconds of thought.

"I promise."

She grins; a hopeful, happy grin, before snuggling the back of her head into my chest. She sighs quietly, contently, and it feels good.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last long.

A loud knock on the door causes us to pull apart, and our insecurities spring off another fake fight.

"I can't _believe_ you!" I scream into Sonny's face. She scoffs.

"You're _pathetic_!" She yells right back.

"Stop it, both of you." A small, familiar voice comes from behind the door. "I know your secret, just open the door."

I gulp, turning to face Sonny who is wearing a look of slight fear on her pretty face. Hesitant, I walk towards the door, placing my hand on the doorknob.

"Are you alone?" I ask my cast mate.

"Yup." She says, "Promise."

"Don't let her in…" Sonny whispers.

I just shrug, "You told one of your cast members… now I'm telling one of mine."

After letting out a loud sigh and a head-full of thoughts on how wrong this is, I pull the door open to reveal Zora. She smiles up at me.

"Right." She says, "We need to talk."

So. Maybe the plan didn't work like we hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, that's that! If I'd have continued this chap I would've included Zora talking to them, but I almost have to go watch TV and I just wanted to get this up. I just have a feeling this week's gonna be stressful, until Thursday night, so I might not update... *facepalm*. So... there you go.**

**Well, what will happen next? Will they come clean to Zora? Will Zora keep their secret if they do? Will anyone else figure it out?**

**Well... review to find out! :D**

**~Amy x**

**PS: Once again, apologies for the few swears there were in there. I'm a real goody-goody, but they were just needed. Hope no-one minds :)**

**PPS: Anyone notice - Operation: Friendship Flunk = Operation FF? I giggled when I realised :P And it was originally called "Friendship Fail", so sorry if I didn't change it in a couple of places...**


	30. Long Time Coming

**A/N: Heeyyyyyy guys. I know you QTO fans must be so happy, cos it seems to be the only story I'm updating recently! Heh. Heheheh. I'm sorry. I will, honestly, get working on both LWMS and TDLOCDC next. It's LWMS's first birthday in a week or so's time, so... *smiles like a nutjob*. I will certainly update then (not to mention tweet about it all day ;))**

**Just to say - I had an awesome birthday ;D Lol. And the week wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be. So that's why I'm updating now :D**

**(reviewer who left no name): When will Channy get together? Ahh, in all due time... ;) There will be a few more-than-friends feelings coming soon. I have their official get-together planned, but I don't know exactly how far away it will be yet... but have faith! It will happen ;)**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - Okay, I'm getting worried, hun. Please, if you say this... Tell me everything's okay. I'm worried... I just need a big Argie hug! And so does Hannah! We both miss you so!**

**Wellll, here comes the chap!**

**WARNING: Angsty Tawni and Sonny fight. Yup. Prepare yourself for plenty of mean words. I do apologise for them.**

**I don't own Sonny with a Chance.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29 - Long Time Coming<strong>

Sonny's POV

"We need to talk."

I gulp, before putting on a brave face for the twelve year old, who is oddly so much braver than me, "Well, we don't _want _to talk!" I snap.

"Sonny, please." Chad holds up a hand to stop me, sighing. "We've gotta come clean, or it'll just cause more problems."

Zora scowls, "I knew you were hiding something." She says, folding her arms. She stalks into the room, stands there for a few seconds, before speaking again, "Come on. Come out with it."

Chad takes a deep breath. He brings a hand up to his face and rubs the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. I watch him, horrified. We can't tell Zora! She's the sneakiest of the Randoms! She'll tell on us, I know she will!

That doesn't stop Chad from walking over to me and placing a kind arm around my back. He looks up at Zora with shameful eyes. _Shameful?_

"I'm sorry I have to tell you like this, Zora." He says quietly, averting his eyes from Zora's evil, accusing ones, "But… Sonny and I, well, we… we're um…"

"You're what?" Zora snaps. Chad gulps hard. He stands, thinking for a long time, before he finally speaks again.

"We're friends." And then, as if someone has turned a switch, he looks up at her again, this time looking a whole lot more brave than before, "We're good friends – great friends, even. Sonny needs a person there for her – she's had a rough time and she needs someone – and I just happen to be that someone. If that's a crime, then go ahead and call the cops. I'm not ashamed."

And then, Zora looks at him. Just looks at him; first with confusion, then with shock, then with anger. She turns on her toes and heads for the door, slamming it behind her. Chad sighs, his blue eyes shutting down.

"Guess that's it." He says, sitting down on his couch and resting his hand in his hands. "I just wanted everything to be okay…" He mumbles disappointedly. I watch him in regret.

I can't let this happen. I can't let Zora go off and tell the Randoms… I can't let this ruin Chad's friendship with the group.

I _can't._

In a sudden moment of courage, I grab Chad's hand and pull him to his feet.

"_Wha_… _Sonny_?" He asks, dumbfounded. I ignore him, pulling him out of the door and down the corridor. Zora is only a few feet away, so we catch up with her easily. That's the least of our worries, anyway.

"Zora, wait!" I cry after her. She spins around to face us, glaring angrily. I take a deep, nervous breath. _It's now or never…_

"I'm sorry." I say. Zora scowls.

"Noted. Done now? Or do you wanna brag about how you've managed to steal away _our_ cast member?" The fire in her eyes is terrifyingly real for a twelve year-old girl **(I think I've made her a little older than she is in the show… but that doesn't matter, right?)**. I sigh.

"Zora, I know you feel betrayed by this, and I'm sorry. But you can't blame Chad for this… you shouldn't need to get revenge! Chad is still the same boy… I haven't done anything to him; we're just friends, so what?"

"So _what_?" Zora scoffs, "He's friends with the _enemy._" I don't like the angry look she shoots Chad at this point.

"He's _friends _with a girl who _needs _a friend." I say sternly. Zora raises an eyebrow at me.

"Excuse me?"

I take a deep breath. _No turning back now. _"I'm a mess, Zora."

"We all knew that." She rolls her eyes. Okay, I admit, for a young girl, she's got a lot of guts. "Your point?"

"Chad… he's the best friend I've ever had. He's kind, he's fun, he helps me when I need him. He's a better friend than all my previous friends combined! We… we can't _help it _that we're friends – it just happened. And, you know what? You can go tell your cast about this, but that won't help. You'll just break up the strong bond you Randoms have. Trust me – I _envy_ you guys and your friendship. You're like a _family_. Don't… don't punish Chad for this. He's doing a good thing – he's being friends with someone who doesn't even _deserve_ him, someone who's falling apart at the seams. I'm grateful for him… don't take that away. _Please_."

I'm horrified by how weak I sound on that last word. That's not going to help me at all. What is Zora gonna do now? Go run to the paps and laugh about how weak and fragile the self-proclaimed perfect girl really is? Great. Well, there goes life as we know it. A twelve year old girl will be the one to ruin my entire life.

Yippee.

But, instead, well, she doesn't run off straight away. She's hard to read actually. She looks at me, wearing a blank expression. Her gaze sweeps from me to Chad and then from Chad back to me again.

And then her eyes shut down.

"Is this true?" She whispers to Chad. He nods desperately.

"Sonny needs a friend, Zora. I'm the only one she's got." He says. She sighs – a really deep sigh, eyeballing the ceiling.

"I must be outta my mind…" She grumbles to herself, shaking her head, before looking up at us hesitantly. "…Fine." She says, "I'll keep the secret."

A blind person could've seen the relief and happiness in Chad's eyes as he wraps his arms around a tiny Zora, who glares at me half-heartedly over his shoulder. I just shrug and smile at her lightly.

"Hey, Zora?" I ask, curious. "How did you figure it out?"

She shrugs, "I saw you guys hanging out yesterday, in Chad's room. You guys really need to hide yourselves better than that – anyone who was just cruising by in that vent could've seen you."

She points up to the vent above our heads, and I bite my lip as Chad clears his throat and laughs gingerly.

"Oops!" He says.

"Yeah, oops." Zora laughs, rolling her eyes lightly. "But don't worry – your secret is safe with me. I give you my word." She smiles at Chad, before raising an eyebrow at me, "I still hate you, though."

"And I loathe you too!" I say, winking arrogantly and flipping my hair back. She smiles at us both once more, before turning on her heels and sauntering down the hallway, whistling a happy tune. Watching her, I reach out for Chad's hand and grip it tight.

"Well." He says, also watching Zora turn the corner to the So Random stage.

"Zora's my favourite Random right now, you know that?" I say, to lighten the mood. Chad gasps dramatically.

"What about _me_?"

I notice my mistake and explode with laughter.

"Besides you, you dummy." I whack him upside the head as we both stroll back down the hallway, towards the So Random stage, laughing.

Tawni's POV

I thought the troubles with Sonny and Chad were over after their fight on Tuesday.

But apparently, they were just beginning.

Now, I know that Chad doesn't like Sonny. At all. I trust him – how couldn't I? He's my cast mate and my friend. Plus, I have those massive feelings for him that he knows about (and sadly doesn't return), and he hasn't ran off or freaked out about it yet, which is a relief.

Point is – I trust Chad. It's _Sonny _I don't trust. And what makes it worse? I seem to be the only one in this whole damn room who notices it! Ugh… she laughs and flicks her hair back and flirts at him while he sits there with that adorable look on his face, so, so unaware. Unaware of _everything_. I mean, it's not like he even likes her!

Well, now that I think about it… they're getting along. I guess. Well, kind of. Chad is putting up with Sonny, yet he doesn't even seem to realise she's really flirting with him!

It's _disgusting_.

"_Cha-aaaad_…" She sings – _SINGS! _– with a stupid-happy look on her face.

_Barf_.

Chad rolls his eyes lightly, but he's smiling. A blind person could see his happiness. Maybe he just likes the attention? But then, that's not very Chad-like…

"What do you want, Munroe?" He asks, smirking in Sonny's direction. They're _joking _with each other. Why the _hell _are they _joking_ with each other?

"I just want to tell you… you're annoying." She sneers, before adding as an afterthought, "Ooh, and your breath smells of cheese. Stinky, stinky cheese."

Chad laughs, and I begin to tense up, "Well," He says, popping his collar. _See? _Someone as sweet as Chad shouldn't be popping his collar! "I _am _from Wisconsin, the _state _of cheese."

"That would explain a _lot_." Sonny giggles. C'mon! She's _giggling _at him now? What the _hell_?

"What the heck is going on there?" I whisper to Zora next to me, who is reading a stupid book. She just shrugs.

"Don't ask me." She says, "I endeavour to not look inside the minds of boys. Or Drama Queens. I'm not gonna get involved in _either _of their businesses." She nods towards Chad and Sonny, who are now snickering amongst themselves.

"But she's _flirting with him!" _I whisper to her, "And he's doing _nothing _to stop it!"

Zora shrugs again, "Mmm…" She mumbles, ignoring me.

"Zora!" I hiss, "_Zora_!"

She just digs her nose further into her book. I scowl, turning my attention back to Chad and Sonny. He whacks her playfully and she just laughs, batting her tarantula-long lashes at him. I just _knew _she had feelings for him, all this time… and I actually stupidly _believed _that she _didn't_ like him after their fight yesterday… of course, I can still trust _Chad_ enough to know that he wasn't really faking it in that fight they had… **(*shrug* Love is blind :P)**

"You silly little Random…" She mutters, still smiling.

"E-_nough_!" I groan. All the heads in the room snap to look at me, including the two people who's attention I was very much hoping to grab the attention of. Chad looks slightly worried, and Sonny is scowling at me. However, I can tell, by the look in her eyes, that she's equally is worried as Chad. Hmm. I take a deep breath and continue speaking.

"Leave my cast mate _alone, _Sonny." I spit at her, shooting her a death glare. Her throat bulges a little and I guess that she was swallowing really hard, before she shuffles tensely in her seat. She looks at me with hesitant eyes, scanning me, biting her lip, before she gets up out of her chair and walks away, out of the Prop House, without another backward glance.

Ha. Good _riddance_.

Chad watches her, frowning a little, before turning back to face me. "That was kind of cold, Tawni." He says in a soft voice. I blink.

"Well, I'm sorry, _Chad_," I spit at him, "but I was _trying_ to protect you from her little _flirting…"_

"Flirting?" Chad cuts me off. "Sh-she was flirting with me?"

"Yes." I growl, "Did you not see it?"

"I didn't." Zora says, lifting her eyes from that book for a nanosecond. I scoff, turning to question Nico and Grady who also seem totally oblivious to the situation. I gasp, standing up and placing my hands on my hips.

"_Fine._" I scowl, "If you guys can't see it, I'll shut up about it." I give Chad one last glare, which he tries to avoid, before speaking again, "Something's going on here." I say, "I don't _like _it."

And before anyone can tell me I'm out of order, I leave. I don't turn back. I'm not staying in that room with those _traitors._

Sonny's POV

After Tawni's small outburst at me on Wednesday, I decide to stay quiet and be around the Randoms a whole lot less. I only see them in rehearsals, and even then, Tawni refuses to talk to anyone unless she's in character. I can't help but feel pity for her, even though I still hate her guts. She just seems so paranoid for one reason or another… I think – _know_ – it's to do with me. It _has _to be. I have no idea how to handle it, so I just smile and prattle on and hope that I don't say anything that will cause an explosion.

I don't _want _to cause an explosion.

Thursday goes on fine – luckily. No problems whatsoever. Tawni avoids me, and I avoid her. But then, Friday comes along – the day of the show.

And the explosion that's been a long time coming… finally comes around. And when it comes, it leaves an awful path of destruction behind it…

It all starts when I first come into So Random on Friday morning. It seems that I'm the only one here, until I hear the clicking of high heels behind me, and turn to see a scowling Tawni Hart, leaning against the door board. She shakes her head slowly, pushing herself away from the wall and walking closer to where I'm stood next to the couch. I step backwards, not wanting to get too close as she seems pretty angered, but I trip on the couch leg and fall over. I make a mental note never to wear these heels again, before I hear a laugh from above me. I look up to see Tawni looking down at me like I'm a disgusting little bug, arms folded.

"So _now _you get it?" She asks, "You _don't_ mess with me."

I get up, moving backwards, away from Tawni, trying to escape her nasty glare out the back door. But she blocks the door before I can get to it. She puts her hands on her hips, and I feel oddly scared.

"We're _talking._" She says sternly, "You're not going _anywhere._"

I gulp, swallowing back all my fear. I try to stand tall on my heels, clenching my fists to try and look strong, when really, I'd do anything to get the heck out of her. I'm just worried of what Tawni would do if I did make a break for it…

"Wh-why not?" My attempt of being brave really doesn't work. "What do you want, Blondie?"

She growls a low growl. "First off, _don't _call me that, you _skank_." I refrain from snorting. Oh, very nice language… "Second, we need to talk. About a certain _cast member_ of mine… I'm sure you know _which._"

_Oh no… _I try to keep a straight expression. "Honestly, Tawni, I don't." I lie, "Now move outta my way…"

I try to step my way around her, but she won't allow it.

"No, no, no…" She mumbles with a low chuckle, "You're not evading it anymore, Munroe." I stare at her blankly, which just seems to rile her up even further, "_Chad!" _She whisper-screams, "Chad Dylan Cooper! Remember _him_?"

I nod slowly, unable to form a sentence. Her lips curl into a satisfied smile.

"Good…" She says, "Right then. Tell me… what do you think you're playing at with him?"

"Playing at…?" I ask. Her eyes flash with anger.

"Don't talk _crap, _Allison!" She snaps, you know fully well what I'm talking about."

"Tawni, I haven't even spoken to Chad since Wednesday!" _Unfortunately…_

"But do you remember what you were doing to him on Wednesday?" She asks.

"Um… no…?"

She scowls at me, stomping her foot loudly. "You were _flirting _with him! All day! And ma'am, I did _not _like it! Chad is _my cast mate, _not yours! And trust me, even if I have no chance with him… you have _next_ to no chance! So give up, and accept you've _lost_ this round!"

My jaw drops open when I realise what Tawni is talking about. Oh, no, she does not…

"I do _not _have feelings for Chad!" I yell at her, "How could you even _dare _to suggest that?"

Tawni laughs freely, "Ha, come on, Sonny!" She wipes an imaginary tear from her eyes. My hands curl into fists. She's mocking me. "You know as well as I do that you haven't been able to take your eye off the kid since the moment he stepped through those doors!"

She's… she's mocking me. I _hate_ it when people mock me. "Tawni." I sigh, trying to stay calm by breathing slowly to slow my heart rate back down, "I do _not_ fancy Chad. I never will. I know what you're doing here – you're just trying to take out _your _crush on the boy out on _me_." I smirk; I'm glad to finally have something over her. he gasps angrily, shooting me yet another death glare.

"I. Do. Not. Like. Chad!" She tries to insist, but it doesn't work. I flip my hair back – a habit now that occurs whenever Sonny Munroe gets her own way.

"Suuuree…" I drone, "I've seen the way you look at him. I've even seen you try to attract him with that little "I'm so pretty" routine. And, _where, _exactly, has it led you?"

Her jaw drops open, before she lets her eyes fall to the floor. She shuffles her feet slowly, before looking up at me from under her lashes with dark eyes.

"He… he doesn't like me in that way, okay? Does that satisfy you?"

I would like to say 'yes', but frankly… I shouldn't. I may hate her… but I'm not evil. I wouldn't sneer at someone for their misfortunes.

I'm no Tawni Hart.

"Tawni, I apologise for that." I say to her softly, "But you _can't _go around and take your anger on the subject out on me. Just because, maybe, Chad was talking more to me than to you, or was maybe taking more interest in me…" I drop that train of thought immediately like it burnt me. That is _not _an appropriate way to talk about my best friend. "…What I'm saying is; it isn't my fault."

She snorts, folding her arms. Defending that chink I found in her almost indestructible armour. "Oh, really?" I nod. She scoffs. "You are so _stupid!"_

I blink. "I beg your pardon?" She smirks as my hands become fists. _Deep breaths, Sonny… for the love of your job, your life, everything that is good… deep breaths…_

Now I remember why I fell out with this girl.

"I mean, c'mon, you just walk in here, wiggling your butt, batting your eyelashes like you're this perfect supermodel-girl. But you're _not, _okay? Chad does not – and never will – like you. So get off that high horse, and stop pretending you're perfect. You're far from it, actually… you're just a… a… a horrible, nasty piece of work! You're a disgusting slut! Just… go away, and _stay_ _away_!"

I watch, mortified, as the girl hisses and spits and scowls. I watch as she fumes at me, believing every single word, before taking a deep breath. I hate that she's kind of right. Why do I have to be such a... such a horrible person on the outside?

"Tawni, I-"

That's when she slaps me. Hard. On the cheek.

I bring my hand up to my face, my cheek burning as I touch it. Tawni laughs, almost hysterically.

"You're _pathetic_." She sneers. "You're just as pathetic as you were all those years ago. A stupid, puny, worthless _bitch!_"

That sets me off. Tawni has said a lot of things to me over the years… but this is the first time she's referred to back before we fell out. I hate looking back on those memories, but now she's brought them up, I can't chase them away. The cuts, both emotional… and physical… are far too deep. I bite my lip to try and stop the tears from flowing.

"Why are you being like this?" I ask her timidly. She scoffs.

"Because you've had this coming a long time, Munroe. You've pushed people around for years, thinking you're perfect. It's getting old. _You're _getting old."

"Do _not _be like this, Tawni." I say in a dangerously low tone. She rolls her eyes at me. "You're just as bad as you were when we were younger… honestly!"

"And you're not?" She laughs, "Admit it, Sonny, you're still that little _baby_ who is too naïve to realise that her dreams will never come true. You just need to deal with that – Chad will never like you, you're dad will never come back… _neither of them care. _Get _that _into your _thick_ skull."

At that comment, I shut down.

Completely.

I drop my hands to beside my sides, also dropping my eyes to the ground in the process. She... she brought up my dad. Again. Just like when we were younger - she's remembered that my dad, my past, is my weak spot, and used it to her advantage.

"I'm leaving…" I say, pushing my way past her.

"Good!" She screams after me.

I bolt it. Never wanting to see Tawni again.

Chad's POV

The second I walk into the Prop House, I can tell I've just entered the middle of a battlefield, in the aftermath of the battle. Tawni is sat on the couch, hugging her knees, staring into the distance. She scowls the minute she sees me. I hear the rest of my cast come in behind me.

"Whoa, Tawni, what happened?" Nico asks, shocked, "You look rough…"

"Oh, stop it, Nico!" She snaps, resting her chin on her knees, "I'm not in the mood."

I sit next to her on the couch (not too close, though…) and try to smile friendlily at her. She tries for a smile, but it just falls and she scowls at me again.

"Tawni… what happened?" I ask her gently.

"Sonny, and I, we, well…" She sighs, "We got into a fight." After a long pause, she concludes, "And I'm not doing the show later."

Oh… no.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologise for the crappy-ness of that last bit. I got a little bored, so I just decided to round it up quickly and get it posted ;)**

**Soooo... thoughts? What will happen next? Well... review, and you will find out!**

**~Amy x**


	31. Broken Hart

**A/N: MWAAHH! I love you all! Just look at that review count! 453 REVIEWS! *whistles***

**I'm glad y'all liked that chapter. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I did give you LWMS and two one-shots, one which was based on this story! "In Her Shadows"... go read it, if you haven't! It's based on Tawni cos I know how much y'all hate her and wanted to give you a little insight to her mind. Personally, though I hate her, I can't help but feel sorry for her. And I continue to, in this chapter. **

**Bailey: Aww, thank you! :D **

**BIG I-LOVE-YOU SHOUT OUT AND DEDICATION TO GingerFlight FOR GIVING ME ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND BESTEST REVIEWS EVA. Seriously girl. I giggled, snorted, smiled like a dork, blushed, and "awwed" sever****al times! I love you! It was certainly NOT too long! Anyone who reads my stories knows that I LURVE long reviews, and so yours just brightened my day! It was like reading an essay on my story! *dies of awesomeness overload*. I beg you honey, please, _please_, keep those awesome reviews coming! I think you and I are as glad as each other that you found my story! ;D LOOOVEYOOUUUU! **

**Okay, story time! I don't own SWAC ;)**

**Ooh, official CHAPTER 30! Here's to hoping it's a good one! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30 - Broken Hart<strong>

Chad's POV

"You can't _not _do the show!" I say to Tawni, who folds her arms angrily and fixes a scowl on her lips. "Why are you not doing the show?"

"I refuse to work with _Sonny._" She spits her name like it's poisonous, "It's just not going to happen."

I groan, running a hand through my hair in annoyance. Well, I should've known Sonny and Tawni were gonna fight sometime soon, with Sonny being around all week and all, but _now_? Hours before the show? And now Tawni won't even _do _the show? Those girls really do know how to make things awkward for me, don't they?

I turn to Nico, Grady and Zora, lowering my voice level as we huddle into a compact circle.

"Okay, we need to sort this out." I whisper, glancing over my shoulder at Tawni, who has completely lost interest in everything and is filing her nails. "We can't _not _have Tawni in the show, right? So we need to sort things out between the two…"

"Poor, naïve Chad…" Nico shakes his head solemnly, "Dude, you don't know those girls as well as we do…" _Don't be too sure of that… _"They hate each other. I knew, from the moment Sonny stepped foot on this set, that Tawni was just holding in all the anger. It isn't a surprise that they exploded in each other's faces – they hate each other, man! After what Sonny did to Tawni…" _Tawni did to Sonny, actually…_

"Well, it never hurts to try." I shrug. Zora pouts, putting a friendly hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, Chad, Chad, Chad…" She says, smiling at me patronisingly, "You're so innocent, it's adorable." Okay, am I the only one who finds this situation totally weird? I'm like two feet taller than her, for crying out loud! And four years older! Weird…

"How about this?" I say, ignoring Zora as gently as possible, "You guys stay here to comfort Tawni, and I'll go find Sonny, and hopefully they'll both be okay to do the show."

I don't like the looks shot my way after I say that.

"What?" I reply to their odd glares. Zora suddenly wraps her arm around mine and tugs on it gently.

"Um, I'll come with you, Chad!" She says, grinning, "Just so you two don't get in a fight as well!"

With that, she drags me out of the room and away from Nico and Grady's (and Tawni's slightly more intense) odd glares.

"What was that about?" I ask her as she lets go of my arm and keeps walking.

"Tawni was getting suspicious of how you wanted to go talk to Sonny – I could see it. I know that she trusts me, and thinks that if anything goes on between you too I'll report back to her. But, of course, she doesn't know… that I'm a double agent!" She gives me an evil wink and I laugh.

"You are awesome, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah…" She says uninterestedly while she waves a hand in front of my face, "Just don't you do any of that mushy-slushy stuff in front of my face with Munroe."

I blink, "Mushy-slushy? You…" I chuckle awkwardly, "You realise, Zora, we don't have any of _those _feelings… we're just _friends…_"

"I know, idiot." She laughs ironically, rolling her eyes. "And you should be glad you _don't_. I'm cool with the friends thing… well, kind of… but _dating_? That would be…" She trails off into silence and shudders, "_Weirdness_."

"Weirdness." I agree with a tremble. I haven't felt that way about Sonny in ages… not for a long, _long_ time…

We arrive at Sonny's dressing room. Of course, she's there. Sat on her couch, cuddling with a pillow. I knock on the door carefully – even though I've already opened it – because she hasn't really noticed that I'm here. She looks at me with shock, before giving me a watery smile.

"Cha-ad…" Her voice breaks. It's so weak, it's heartbreaking.

Not wanting Zora to see Sonny break down crying, I tell her to wait outside.

"What? Why?" She asks, putting her hands on her hips. I sigh.

"Zora, just…" I look back over my shoulder, to where Sonny is looking at me, her eyes filled with desperation. I drop my voice level when I turn back to face Zora, who is looking at me with raised eyebrows. "_Look_ at her. I don't think she wants an audience right now."

Zora lets out a small moan, "Fine." She says, "I'll wait out here…" She closes the door behind her, and I walk over to where Sonny is sat on the couch in the middle of the room. The moment I sit down, she flings her arms around me.

"You came…" She breathes into my hair, "You're here."

"Hey, hey…" I say as she begins to sob, shuffling around in her seat until she rests her head on my chest, "What made you think I wouldn't come?"

She bites her lip, sniffing and sobbing, before she speaks again, "T-Tawni scared me."

I groan. Of course. _Tawni._

"What did she say?" I ask her. She looks up at me, tears making her eyes shine. It's not a good kind of shine, though. She looks so weak.

Is it weird that she still looks beautiful?

"Sonny…" I say, semi-sternly. She whimpers. "What did she say?"

"She- She- I'm so _pathetic_!" She begins to cry uncontrollably, hiding her head in her hands.

And _that's_ the moment. When Sonny begins to uncontrollably bawl into my chest, sniffing and crying and hurting – that's the moment when I realise how horrible Tawni _truly_ is. So much so that she could do _this _to such a _beautiful_ person as _Sonny._

It makes me wanna hurl.

I've never felt anger like this. Thick, twisted, sickening. The only thing that stops me from erupting in fury is Sonny's weeping body sobbing on my chest. At her weakness, I melt. I rub her back slowly, gripping her head and placing it on my shoulder, rocking her gently, side to side.

"Sonny." I say slowly, when the sobbing dies down. "Please tell me. What did she say?"

Sonny takes a long breath, her lower lip quivering as I watch her try to form a sentence in her head. I hate seeing Sonny so vulnerable… and despise the people who made her that way. How… how could they? How could they do this to such a brilliant person as Sonny? If they could see what I see in her, they would never have done what they did to her…

She finally speaks after those few painful moments of just staring into her lost eyes. "Sh-She told me that, basically, I-I'm pathetic and egoistic and horrible, a-and she's right!"

"No…" I whisper as she continues to sob, "She's _wrong. _We _both _know that."

Her sobbing dies down to a faint whimper. "B-but, Chad… we're the _only_ _ones_ who know that! The rest of the world sees something completely different – a horrific, nasty little piece of work. A girl full of spite and hate… a girl who's been shifted and twisted so many times that she can hardly _remember _who she used to be! The girl I used to be is long, _long_ gone – replaced with this- this- this _thing!"_

Her mortified cries continue. I feel completely helpless as she yells and sobs and downgrades herself even lower than she ever has. Sonny may pretend she loves herself, but I know really that she _hates_ herself – _hates_ what she has become in the last few years. The anger, the cruelty, the spite… It's hard to convince her she is worthy of life when she is so convinced otherwise. And you know what? It's all thanks to those two key people in her past who wrecked her life in the first place. One was her dad…

And the other was _Tawni. _

_Tawni_ did this to her. Sure, her Dad broke her, but Tawni was her _best friend_! She was supposed to help mend her – heal the pain, cover the cuts, wrap up the bandages, and then love and nurture her until she was good as new (or at least close), as if she was taking care of a wounded baby bird with a broken wing.

And what did she do instead? She abandoned her. She saw her lying on the street, alone and in pain, and instead of giving her a hand, she gave her the boot. She was nasty and discouraging and discourteous and the complete opposite of what a friend should be.

The fury builds and builds inside me, like a fire spreading through me. All I can think is… _why? Why_ did this have to happen to Sonny? Why did her life have to take such a nasty turn? Why did her father have to go ballistic and abandon her? Why did her best friend have to kick her out in the cold? Why has everyone this poor, sweet, lonely girl ever turned to thrown her away like a piece of _garbage_?

"S-Sonny…" I say. She looks up at me; her eyes desperate, longing. I wish I could just wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe forever; protect her from everything and everyone. She's not a baby, I know that… but she needs help. Guidance. Her life is so messed up. She's been trying her best to get better, but of course Tawni had to come along and unearth a whole load more problems, didn't she? If Tawni wasn't around, Sonny and I would find our relationship so much easier.

Um. I meant _friendship. _That's what I meant. Yep.

Back on topic…

"What am I, Chad?" Sonny whispers to me, resting her head on my shoulder and mumbling desperately into my ear, "Wh-what _am _I? A monster? A freak? Am I really as pathetic as people say? Because I go around, pretending that I'm okay, and then Sonny Munroe goes around, pretending she's perfect, and then you come along and try to agree with me to make me happy because you're just nice in that way. You don't agree, though, do you? You _can't _agree – because everyone else in the world sees me for the _monster _I am, so why don't _you_? Even my dad knew I was pathetic… and that's why he _left. _And it's only a matter of time before you realise what they all realised long before you and then you'll take off too!"

And then, my jaw just drops open. I have to hold it together to stop my own tears from flooding. I have to stay strong for Sonny. Instead, I just remember the fury I felt before. If _Tawni _put all these thoughts in Sonny's head… I will kill her for it.

"Sonny, lemme just get one thing straight." I say, biting back the anger. I'm gonna save that for Tawni later… "You are _not _a monster. _Or _a freak. You're just a girl who has had so much misfortune that it's changed her. That is _not _your fault, okay? Second, I've never heard anyone but the Randoms – mostly Tawni – say you were pathetic, but that's because you're their _enemy_. And that leads me on to point number three – why are you suddenly thinking all this about yourself? _Was_ it Tawni? Because, frankly, I thought you were getting better and better with this hatred towards yourself. Sonny, you are a brilliant person – heck, you're not perfect. Nobody's perfect! But… you've never hated yourself like this before!"

Looking at me with empty eyes, Sonny wipes a hand across her eyes, before saying, "What's your point?"

I take a deep sigh. "What. Did. Tawni. Do?"

The reaction and the silence is all I need to hear, to see. Her eyes widen before she drops her gaze to her lap, playing with her fingers as a distraction.

"I'm waiting." I say impatiently after a few painful seconds of silence. Sonny gulps.

"I told you everything." She says softly, after a moment of thought. "She just told me that I'm a horrible person and that I don't deserve to be so high-and-mighty all the time."

"I know _that _bit." I say, rolling my eyes. I take her hands in mine and stare at her. She cowers away, averting from my gaze. "There's more, isn't there? Tell me what she said that got you so freaked out. That, or I'll go to her and find out myself."

"NO!" She yells, before dropping her eyes to the floor again, "Don't go to her." She tells me in a timid voice. I scold myself for scaring her like that, but that doesn't stop me.

"Right, then." I say, "Tell me what she said. Please?"

She closes her eyes, exhaling, before her eyes open again and brim with tears as her lower lip trembles. "She started talking about you, and how I had a crush on you, and I was like, please…" What the heck is that feeling? Shock? Confusion? Disappointment? …No way. "…and then, she, well… she mentioned my dad… she said I was stupid and pathetic and that my daddy never cared for me and that you'd never love me, and-"

She trails into silence. One last tear rolls down her cheek. It seems she's run dry on tears.

"I-I didn't want her to be right." I say, "I don't want you to leave… you can't leave me…" She then falls limply into my arms and cries tearlessly and soundlessly. With one last breath, she speaks again, before she basically shuts down.

"I can't lose you…"

Feeling guilty and angry and upset, I wrap my arms around her and stroke her back like she's a little child.

"I know." I tell her.

* * *

><p><strong>(Sorry! I would've had this up last night but I had to go half-way through proofreading! I've just come back and I'll continue proofreading and get it done and posted asap for y'all!)<strong>

Huddled in a blanket I found amongst all the other stuff in her room to keep her cosy, Sonny trudges across the stage of So Random, giving me a thumbs-up as she approaches the rest of the cast. I have to hold myself back as Tawni gives her a weird look.

"What the heck is wrong with _you?_" She asks, scanning her as Sonny shrugs the blanket off of her shoulders.

"It's this thing, Tawni; it's called _cold._" Sonny tells her, and I mentally cheer. "Something I'm sure you're used to – you use it so much in your personality."

Tawni growls, but gives no response. Ha. Victory for Munroe!

Somehow, in his own awesome-superman way, Nico convinced Tawni to do the show after all. I know we'd probably all feel so much better if she _wasn't _doing it, but then what would we do about her parts? It would be kind of hard to replace her at such late notice, so I'm glad Nico was successful.

I think he used to fact that they both have ultra-hidden crushes on each other to his advantage. Seriously. The more you get to know them, the more you can see that her eye rolling while he tells her about all the pretty girls he's dated (yeah, right) is simply their way of flirting. It's a weird flirting technique, sure, but I think they both have crushes on each other that maybe even they don't notice. I just wish that Tawni had discovered her crush on _him _before she discovered her crush on _me. _I wonder if she still has those feelings for me… not that I care though.

Anyway.

The show goes surprisingly well. No, really. Despite all the evil glares shot between Munroe and Hart (and, at some times, Cooper _at _Hart… he admits proudly), the sketches go well and are performed to our normal standard. And hey, can I add that Sonny looks awesome wearing a blonde wig? Is that something I should keep to myself?

But then, everything just gets worse. Yup, that's right, ladies and gentlemen – I, Chad Dylan Cooper, the innocent, naïve little Wisconsin boy, finally erupt.

Yippee.

Sonny bounces her way off the stage, her grin a mile wide. She looked so happy performing those sketches – I was so proud to see her being brave, after everything that happened earlier. She managed to stay strong, and I was glad of that.

Tawni then follows her off the stage. I watch, over Sonny's shoulder, as she stalks over and "stumbles" into Sonny, sending her toppling unexpectedly to the floor. I bite my lip in anger and she laughs.

"Oops." She says innocently, smirking. She shrugs, "My bad!"

As she skips away, I watch her, silently wishing that my glowering at her will somehow make her a better person. Or make her disappear. You know. Whichever is easiest.

Nico and I help Sonny up. "You okay?" Nico asks her, which I think is kind of nice. You know, from a Random, to Sonny.

"I'm fine." She nods, but I can tell otherwise.

"I'll be back later…" Leaving everyone else behind, I slowly stalk in the direction Tawni went…

* * *

><p>"<em>Tawni<em>."

I step through the door to Tawni's dressing room. She looks up at me with confused, innocent eyes, which were previously being coated with eyeliner, it seems.

"Chad?" She says, surprised, "Um, what are you doing here? No offence – it's always nice to see you – but aren't you the kind of guy to be gentlemanly and knock?"

"Don't try to be naïve with me, Tawni!" I snap, avoiding any attempt of pleasantries. She doesn't _deserve _pleasantries. "I have to have a word with you about something – rather, some_one_."

She blinks. "Who? Has someone, like, annoyed you or something? Cos, I have to say…" She scans me up and down, her eyes widening particularly at the scowl I fixed on my face. "…You, hmm, you don't look happy."

"I'm far from it, actually." I snarl. She sort of jumps back in surprise.

"Chad, did I do something to upset you?" She asks, walking over cautiously and placing a hand on my shoulder that I roughly push off. The fury from earlier has returned, okay? I'm sick of Tawni and how freakin' _awful _she is to one of the greatest friends I've ever had. I don't care whether it'll reveal our secret or not – Tawni is in _so _much trouble…

"You did, _actually_." I say darkly, "And you've been doing it for _three damn years._" Her brow just creases in confusion. Somehow that just fuels my anger even more, "Sonny told me the _truth._" I tell her.

She just stares at me. For a long, hard moment. Her mouth is gaping open, her eyes are completely blank. "The _t-truth?_" She repeats, shocked. I nod. "About what?"

"About your friendship. About who _really _dumped who."

She continues to stare that weird stare, and then her eyes flash with anger. "So, what did she say then?" She snorts, folding her arms and rolling her eyes, "Probably a pack of lies."

"_She _didn't lie to me, Tawni. You did. I _know_ you did."

She gasps, "What? So, you trust that- that _thing _over me? Your cast mate? Your _friend?_"

"You are _no more _of a friend to me then _she_ is." I say, scowling at her. "And you know what I feel about her. But- But what she told me, Tawni… hearing it _disgusted _me!"

She frowns; horrified, shocked… _guilty, _before she places her hands on her hips and scowls right back at me. "So, go on then." She says, "What's the story?"

I take a deep breath, "Sonny's Dad left, and then she got a little depressed…"

She snorts unattractively, "Understatement of the century…"

I snarl at her, "Just _shut up _and let me talk for _once_, Tawni." I shout. She opens her mouth to protest, but no sound comes out and she just lets out a little grunt, before shutting her mouth, embarrassed. A little satisfied, I carry on, "So, she wasn't too happy… and then, rather than being a good friend – supporting her and stuff – you _ditched_ her for So Random! Is that right?"

Her jaw drops open, and she grunts a couple more times, before finally forming a sentence, "I swear! Chad, she's – she's mixing up the story, just to make me look bad! She's – she's Sonny Munroe! She does that, you know she does…" Hmm. Nice try, Tawni. A little too offbeat for my liking, though.

"_Tawni_." I interrupt her. She looks up at me with those usually-cold eyes. Now, she just looks strangely desperate. Ha, and she thinks I'm gonna fall for puppy dog eyes? Only Sonny can fool me with those… um, yeah. Anyway, after realising that I'm not gonna fall for any tricks, Tawni sighs and averts her gaze from me.

"Okay…" She says after a while, "So, I might have stopped being friends with her. Could you blame me? She wasn't a good friend. I couldn't talk to her anymore – she was too busy moping about her dad."

"And so you didn't think that maybe you could be a good friend and _ask _how she was? Care for her? Do things that, well, friends actually _do? _You're not a very good friend, are you, Tawni?"

Her eyes are dark, accusing, before she just breaks into a pout, "C'mon…" She mumbles, "Chad, you can't honestly _care _about Sonny… she's _Sonny! _You don't care about _her_!"

_Mhmm, sure_… "As true as that may be, you still hurt her. That is _not_ okay. In fact… it almost looks like you helped change Sonny! She was all happy until you and her dad wrecked things for her!" Somehow, I lose my calm. I start yelling at Tawni, the anger I've held back for so long flows out uncontrollably, "Yeah… _you _caused it all! Just think about that, Tawni – you were her best friend, and you _wrecked _her! Who was she supposed to turn to after you, huh? She had _no-one."_

Tawni goes to put a careful hand on my shoulder, but I shrug her off again.

"_Don't_ touch me." I snap. Her eyes widen with shock. I sigh, raking a hand through my hair in frustration, "Tell me, Tawni… what were you thinking? What have you been thinking this whole time while you've continued to just push and push this girl until she was completely altered, huh? Why did you do it?"

She scoffs, seeming hurt by my accusation, before she gives up the 'innocent' act. Ha. _Good_.

"Chad…" She moans, "Sonny is our _enemy! _Do you not remember that? You shouldn't care for her – not ever! She's the _enemy_!"

"As much as that is true, Tawni…" I say quietly. I've ran out of anger now. There's just no convincing this girl, is there? "As much as it is _so_ true… it's also true that _you _made her this way. Sure, her Dad ditched her, but you were her _best friend_. You were supposed to help fix her, and what did you do? Call her pathetic and worthless and take off with your shiny new friends. Maybe, just maybe, if you had been the friend she needed, she wouldn't be the Sonny Munroe we all know and hate. She'd be the _Allie Munroe _that _you_ knew and _loved_. Did you ever think of that? If you hadn't pushed her to the side and broken her, she wouldn't have had to create a cover story to protect hersef like she did. So, you know what? It's all. Your. Fault." Her eyes shine with tears, but that doesn't fool me. I exhale loudly, before turning to face her, "Congratulations – you wrecked someone's life."

And before she can protest, I push past her and head straight to my dressing room.

Sonny's POV

"I'll be back later…"

I watch as Chad's eyes flash with anger and I gulp as he follows Tawni like a predator stalking his prey. Yowch. Never thought I'd see the day when Chad actually stalks someone down. Something tells me he's going to pounce, and it won't be pretty.

I wonder what's cheesed him off. Tawni? Well, duh. But still. Chad is an incredibly patient and calm kid, and now he's gone off to yell at the girl who, eh, I should really be yelling at. Chad once told me; don't get involved in other people's business. Yup, the kid can be a hypocrite.

But I love him. Whatever.

I have one worry, though, and that's what he's gonna say to Tawni. Now, I know Chad. He's a loveable, huggable teddy bear and total softy. The only problem is that he's totally protective of the ones he loves – especially me. you wouldn't believe the number of times he's complained to me about how I didn't deserve such an ugly past and that if he was around, he would've cuddled me up in his arms and protect me from the world. That is strangely satisfying, but I guess that's just because it's nice to have someone care about me that much for the first time in my _life_.

Yup.

My point is – he's defensive. He's been bottling up those emotions for so long, keeping them secret so he doesn't reveal anything in front of his cast. He's been very careful with his feelings towards me and revealing them in front of the Randoms, especially Tawni. But something tells me that, now he's mad, and alone with Tawni, and with plenty of reasons to outburst at her, well, there's no stopping him. I've never seen Chad's aggressive side, but, hey… there's a first time for _everything_, I guess…

"What do you think is wrong with _him_?" Nico asks his friends, watching Chad's retreating figure.

Dusting off my skirt, I give Nico a fake, bright smile, "My guess – the kid's got a screw loose and is going to go let off some steam in the only way a dude can – beat the crap out of his victims."

I'm actually quite proud of my little remark. It sure gains me some pretty baffled looks. It's quite hilarious. And so, with one last friendly smile and wink, I leave the Randoms, who are staring at my back like it's got a growth on it, skipping out of the stage and into the corridors.

Ha ha.

A few minutes later, I'm walking around aimlessly in the hallways, when I bump into Chad. I give him a friendly smile, but he just walks past like I'm not even there. My heart sinks.

Uh oh.

"Chad, Chad!" I say, spinning on my heels and pulling his arm, and he stops and turns around slowly to face me. He stares at me with a freaky blank expression that makes me feel like I've got a piece of glass jammed in my throat. He shakes his head slowly, closing his eyes.

"Sorry, Sonny…" He says softly. He's almost impossible to hear. He almost sounds… ashamed. "I'm just… I just talked to Tawni. I'm not in the best of moods."

"Trust me, buddy, I know what that feels like." I tell him, giving him a cheeky smile and wink, hoping for him to crack and joke along with me. Sadly, that doesn't happen. He just digs his hands in his pockets and shrugs, a sad smile on his face.

"I dunno, maybe I shouldn't have spoke to her like I did… you know? She's already crazily mad at you, and now, thanks to me, she might think you've got me on your side… I don't know what to do…"

I exhale loudly, wrapping my arms around him, and he trails off into silence. I have a horrible feeling that someone's watching us, but I shake it off. That someone is no more important than Chad's happiness.

"Everything will be okay." I whisper in his ear. He sighs happily, rubbing my back comfortingly.

"I sure hope so." He says, "Tawni just… she needed to see _sense. _I needed to show her that what she did to you was wrong. But… I guess I tried, and failed, because a girl like Tawni is never gonna _care_."

"Yeah." I frown. Chad shrugs.

"But hey! Who needs her, right?" He says, perking up a little, "She's nothing to either of us!"

"Yeah…" I agree with a small smile. I pull away from the hug and stroll away, so that if someone is really watching us, they don't get too suspicious. "Random." I shout over my shoulder. Chad laughs.

"Snob!" He shouts after me as I round the corner. Chuckling under my breath, I make my way to my car.

Tawni's POV

Pacing through the So Random hallway, thoughts I don't even want flood my mind. Chad… he was so mad… so angry… problem is, I'm starting to think maybe he was _right._

_No. _That's not a possibility. I mean, Chad _can't_ be right. The creation of Sonny Munroe couldn't have been all down to _me_. I haven't "ruined a life". She's like, Hollywood's number one teen actress, for crying out loud! There's no way that _anyone _has "ruined her life".

Pssh.

But then… he _could_ be right. I mean… no. He couldn't be. _Pfft_. Sonny is just a heartless soul, right? Surely it's not my fault she's that way? I mean, I know _I'm_ no angel, but I'm not so bad of a person that I could turn someone else into a bitchy, too-popular, too-pretty Little Miss Perfect, right?

…_Right_?

Honestly, I don't know what to think anymore. Chad is important to me, okay? And I trust him, and I listen to him. I down-right _know _that he is usually right on most things, but this? Surely not… maybe he was just angry? The dude is super-nice to, uh, just aboyt anyone (even people he doesn't like that much), and he's also a real believer in treating people how you'd wanna be treated and all that nice-guy junk. Maybe when he heard the truth about mine and Sonny's friendship, he was just mad at me for going against all that morality stuff? Maybe.

Or maybe… maybe he's on Sonny's side? Possibly? I don't know. It just about seems that Sonny has taken everything from me thoughout my whole entire _life_… if it turns out she's taken Chad from me too, I don't know what I'd do. Throw a punch, maybe? And I know Chad wouldn't approve because violence is never the answer and blah, blah, blah…

But it's an _option, _if anything…

Oh, come on, can you blame me? She hates me, I hate her. We're enemies. It's what we do.

Suddenly, a small voice breaks out down the hall, and, curious, I tiptoe towards the sound, to see Sonny and Chad, talking, smiling. They hug and my heart sinks, even though part of me totally expected this.

Everything will be okay." Sonny assures him kindly. I watch them, gaping angrily. However, somewhere deep inside me, I feel a little bit (a _very _little bit) of happiness, beneath all the resentment, that Sonny is treating Chad _well. _Even if she does have feelings for the guy, it sure seems like they're not of lust. Which means, Chad does still have a small slither of hope. But still, it pains me to see my Chad with another girl.

"I sure hope so." He says with a small smile, "Tawni just… she needed to see _sense. _I needed to show her that what she did to you was wrong. But… I guess I tried, and failed, because a girl like Tawni is never gonna _care_." I gulp. Is that… what he really thinks of me? That I don't care? Hmm, well, he has no idea…

"Yeah." Sonny says solemnly. Chad stands there silent for a moment, before he perks up again, like someone's flicked a switch and started him up again.

"But hey!" He says, grinning, "Who needs her, right? She's nothing to either of us!"

My heart sinks to my boots. _He doesn't mean it… he doesn't mean it…_

"Yeah…" Sonny agrees again. They both exchange one more smile and mock each other jokingly, before heading off in their separate directions, leaving me sombrely alone. Chad's last words ring in my ear as I make my way to my own car, feeling solemn, desperate, lonely. I watch Sonny as she steps into her car from across the parking lot. Her hair is shining, her eyes are laughing… until they meet mine, that is. Something passes between us; something from our past, but I'm not sure what. I drag my eyes away from her, just wishing everything was the same as it used to be between us, and climb into my car to hide myself.

It's official. I'm the bad guy, aren't I? After everything Sonny and I went through, we ended up like this? And now I've apparently been so awful to her, even some of my own cast can't be bothered with me anymore?

I make my way out of the studio, quickly, before I park somewhere else, where no-one will find me, down the road, and I do something I haven't done in a while.

I bawl my eyes out, just thinking to myself…

_Where did it all go wrong?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aww, there you go. That's my love for Tawni shining through. Yus.**

**Ugh. That was one nightmare of a chapter. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was super fun to write... but it's been hell trying to get it posted. So I started proofreading last night (Friday), but had to leave to watch TV. Then I came back this morning (Saturday), but FanFiction was messing me about. You guys probably got an email that this was updated earlier, right? Well, half the chapter was MISSING. Ugh. So I had to delete it. Then I had to go to the hairdressers, and so, about 20 hours after it was finished, this chapter has finally been posted.**

**Meh. Make me feel like it was all worth while and review? *innocent face***

**Hey, guys, question. My plan is to have Dakota come back next chapter, but I'm not entirely sure on what to do. I have some ideas, but I don't know... would y'all like to see her return? Do you have any ideas? Seriously, the more ideas I get, the quicker the next update shall be. **

**Who else saw Stay Strong? I watched it on Tuesday, when it aired here in the UK, and I cried. It was so beautiful :')**

**Okay, me is done with this EXTREMELY LONG UPDATE. I hope it's worth all this writing. My fingers are starting to cramp up. Ugh.**

**~Amy x**

**PS: Channy fans... hold your horses... we're getting closer and closer to the official get-together... ;)**


	32. Bad Boy Antics

**A/N: Okay, so I'm proofreading this at half 7 in the morning, before I go to school. Bear with me, yeah? :P**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - Awwh... honey... Your two stories were beautiful - Mystery was awesome and Angel made me cry, but in a good way :') I love you. I will miss you. I keep hoping for that miraculous day when you will come back and we can laugh and cry together like we did before. Never change, kiddo. You are incredible. Thank you for helping me begin to achieve my dreams. **

**Shout-out to new reviewers XxKayla96xX and Live. love. inspire for your reviews :D Also shout-out to Clkaudiia... Gracias! **

**Okay, time for the chapter :D Ready... Set... Read!**

**WARNING: Heheh, bunch of crazy random waffle because I changed my mind on the Dakota thing. I honestly had no ideas and just made this whole chapter up on the spot... so, enjoy my crazy little fluffy chapter full of Chad and Sonny being down-right immature and silly :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 31 - Bad Boy Antics<strong>

Nico's POV

Okay, something weird is going on. I mean it.

First off – when I come into work on the Monday of our last week before hiatus, the Prop House seems one pretty, blonde ego-head short (and that's weird, because I'm usually the last one here).

And weird thing number two? We're one pretty, brunette ego-head _up_.

Yup. Sonny Munroe is in the building. Well, I guess that explains why Tawni ain't around.

She is sat on the couch – our couch – with the rest of my cast surrounding her, sort of giving her some weird stare-off. Apart from Chad, who is just staring at her, smiling obliviously.

Pfft. Ridiculous. Chad's awesome, but it's obvious he has a crush on that girl. I mean, he just sits there, smiling like she's the best thing since sliced bread, and then he goes on and tries to be all defensive and believe that the girl's his worse enemy.

Please. I can see that he has totally different feelings for the girl. Somewhere inside all that niceness and funniness. And she feels the same – they look at each other so obliviously, not even knowing that the other one is crazy about them. Maybe not even knowing that they themselves are crazy about the other. Hey, I notice things – I'm not just all suave 'n' stuff.

Not that I _like _the idea of them being… together, by the way. Uh, no thanks. If they did get together, I think Tawni just might kill them both. Tawni may be hot, but she's got quite an anger streak in her. She'd go mental, and a dead cast mate is not what any of us need…

And it's not just Tawni I'm thinkin' of here. I'm thinking of _all _of us. Both our cast and _Sonny's _cast would probably be willing to grab torches and pitchforks if Chad and Sonny got together, and that would probably end in us all killing each other off. Like I was saying, we don't need a massacre around here.

"What's goin' on?" I ask, and all the eyes turn to me. Sonny looks kinda sheepish, and Chad looks like he's realised what he was doing and is trying to hide it. Ha, too late, dude. He turns to Sonny, who is still sat, looking awkward on the couch.

"Tell him what you told me." He says softly. Sonny turns to look at me with a frown.

"Um, so, I saw Tawni on Friday night, when she was getting in her car to go home…" She says quietly, "Um, she seemed kind of… sad. I was curious, so I followed her car…" She was _curious? _

"Why did you even care?" I ask. She blushes, before shrugging.

"I told you – I was just curious. So, I followed her, and then she pulled her car into some parking lot down the road, and I had no idea what was going on so I went to investigate. I got to her car and she just… freaked out at me!" She moans, waving her hands around for emphasis.

Well… that's totally understandable, anyways… that Tawni freaked out on her. She was furious after they fought on Friday. And then Chad had to make everything worse and take Sonny's side. I mean, the dude is great, but he must've known that was a bad idea. Oh well.

"Well, what did she say?" Grady asks, looking a little concerned.

Sonny sighs, "Well, she was saying how she didn't want me near her and how she was fed up of me "stealing everything" from her…" _That's right, Cooper, I see those concerned looks you're givin' her… _"and so she said she, well, she wasn't coming in this week for the show. Not if it meant hanging around a bunch of – I quote – 'traitors' like yourselves."

_Oh_. Okay, I didn't see _that _coming…

"So, Sonny told me about it…" Chad continues for her, "and I decided to go talk to Tawni and see if she was alright. She said she felt like we'd all been sort of… ganging up against her. Especially me, I admit…" He frowns, "I know you guys are probably mad, but I think we should just give her some space. She needs time to cool off, I think – once she's been given like, a week, she'll cool off and come near us again. I'm sure of it."

"Well, thanks for that, Mr Psychologist…" I say, rolling my eyes a little, "But what are we gonna do about the show? This is our last week – and it's the Christmas episode too – we can't just do the show _without _her."

Chad smiles a little, "We have that covered." He says triumphantly, "I thought, since, maybe, since Sonny did such a good job on last week's show…"

_Oh, God…_

A moan sweeps across the room, and Chad looks like we've all just gone and kicked him.

"What?" He says.

"Sorry, man, but are you crazy?" I ask him, "I thought this plan was to help cool Tawni down – not rile her up further! If she sees the show and thinks we've replaced her with _Sonny… _everything will just be made even worse!"

Chad shrugs, "That, dear Nico, is where you're wrong. See, we came up with a plan…" Not bothering to ask who _we _is, cos I'm fairly certain already, I listen along with the rest of 'em, "Okay, so Sonny could help us write sketches, she could rehearse in Tawni's place… Tawni will hopefully be back by Friday, she can do all her sketches… she doesn't even need to know that Sonny helped!" He smiles enthusiastically, obviously pleased with his plan. "What do you think?" He asks us each, his eyes sorta skipping across all of us.

"So we have to work with Munroe?" Zora asks, shooting Sonny a glare. Sonny just smiles innocently at her. Chad nods, obviously seeing no problem in his brilliant plan.

He's too busy smiling at Sonny, anyways.

_Yuck_.

"Well…" I sigh, "I guess it's kinda our only option…"

Chad grins, "Awesome. I guess we'd best get writing then…"

And, as if by magic, soon enough Chad and Sonny are back to the Chad and Sonny we know – hating each other's guts. Almost as if they never even seemed to like each other in the first place.

Sonny gets up off of the couch, sauntering past Chad, wiggling her butt like the attention seeker she is. Okay, so the girl's hot – who could disagree? – but c'mon, the moment she starts going all 'superior', she gets so annoying. You know – more annoying than usual.

Chad rolls his eyes at her, half-scowling, half-smirking. It's a weird combo, but Chad seems to pull it off easily when he's around Sonny. She seems to bring out his slightly… darker side? I guess? He's not just the sweet little puppy when he's round her – he can get kinda mean. But, I guess that's what arch enemies do to you.

Sonny notices Chad's eyes on her and smirks. "What's wrong, Chad?" She asks innocently, "Has it suddenly got hot in here?"

A hint of blush creeps up on Chad's cheek and I gulp. _No, Chad, man, don't do it… don't freak out, don't lose your cool… and whatever you do. Do. Not. Flirt. _

"I can hardly see how you can be _hot _wearing so little clothes, Sonny…" Chad retorts, scanning Sonny's almost not-there skirt, "I mean, your skirt could be confused for your underwear."

I grin. _Nice one… _the kid's good at this stuff when he wants to be.

Sonny's smirk flips upside down and she places her hands on her hips. "And is that a bad thing? We're in California, y'know – not your little cheese-state where everyone wears fifty-eight layers to keep themselves warm in the _summer_. We're much more attractive over here in sunny California where we _don't _need to dress up like Eskimos." Ooh, hometown gag? Ouch.

Chad doesn't seem too affected by it, though. I think he's heard enough 'cheese-state' gags to last him the rest of his life. He raises an eyebrow at her, "My little cheese-state is called _Wisconsin, _and no – we don't dress like you do over here in Cali. But that's only because our girls actually have pride and don't wanna end up attacked by some creepy weirdo on the streets. Seriously, your outfit… it doesn't do favours for you unless your goal is to get pregnant before you've even moved out of your parents' house."

Sonny just looks irritated now. "You think I'm sexy." She insists. Chad stifles a laugh, but I can see by his immediate tensing up that he's totally uncomfortable with the subject. Whether that's because he hates the girl and doesn't like to think of her like that – or if he's uncomfortable because he actually _believes _it – I'm not sure…

"I think you're _slutty._" He corrects. She scowls.

"Face it, Cooper – you're just hiding it."

"Am not."

"Are too. You're hiding the fact that you wish that I would date you, because you're _desperately_ in love with me."

Chad grits his teeth. "Am _not._"

"Are _too._"

"Am. _Not._"

"Are. _Too._"

"You know what? Let's just get on with these damn sketches!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

_"Ugh_!" Sonny dumps herself onto a chair, scratching a pen against a piece of paper, groaning loudly when it doesn't work. "Oh, GIMME A _BREAK_!" She screams, before storming out of the Prop House with a face like thunder. Chad watches her, glowering, before he storms out of the room too, but out the other door.

Wow.

Obviously, that little flirt-off ending up as a full-out battle that didn't end well for _either _army.

"What was _that_?" Grady whispers into my ear. Yeah, my best friend ain't exactly the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to feelings and stuff – he's more into the _cheese _side of things (which must be why he took to Chad so quickly…). He watched Chad storm out the room with shocked eyes, and now he's sat, totally oblivious to _anything _that just happened.

"Well," I say, "Uh, I think we just found out that both Sonny _and _Chad are suffering from mood swings today…"

Yippee.

Chad's POV

"I can hardly see how you can be _hot _wearing so little clothes, Sonny…" I tell Sonny with a smirk. Is it weird that I find our little public fights _fun?_ "I mean, your skirt could be confused for your underwear."

Sonny scowls at me. "And is that a bad thing? We're in California, y'know – not your little cheese-state where everyone wears fifty-eight layers to keep themselves warm in the _summer_. We're much more attractive over here in sunny California where we _don't _need to dress up like Eskimos."

I try not to laugh. Sonny and I had a conversation like this this weekend – it was _hee-_larious. We were basically bagging on each other's home states. Sonny obviously remembers that and is now using it in our little fight. Ha.

"My little cheese-state is called _Wisconsin, _and no – we don't dress like you do over here in Cali. But that's only because our girls actually have pride and don't wanna end up attacked by some creepy weirdo on the streets. Seriously, your outfit… it doesn't do favours for you unless your goal is to get pregnant before you've even moved out of your parents' house."

I don't like referring to Sonny as slutty in any way, because she's not – it's only because of her stupid reputation. I just hope she never… you know. I couldn't bare it if Sonny got _pregnant… _I think I'd have to kill the guy who caused it.

Hey. I'm a protective friend. Problem? Nope.

"You think I'm sexy." Sonny says.

_I do._

…

_Whoa._

_What. The frick. Was **that**?_

Did I just think of Sonny as… sexy? Nope. Nuh-uh. That did _not _just happen…

Right?

Well, only one way to avoid it if it's true –

Denial.

I laugh a little, "I think you're _slutty._" I tell her. I don't like telling her, but it's the only way I'm gonna hide what I just thought from my cast and stop them from killing me.

"Face it, Cooper – you're just hiding it." Sonny fights back though. She's good, I'll admit.

"Am not." I say, maybe a little too quickly.

"Are too." The smirk returns to her face, "You're hiding the fact that you wish that I would date you, because you're _desperately_ in love with me."

_Stay strong, Chad, don't say anything stupid… _"Am _not._" I snap.

"Are _too._"

"Am. _Not._"

"Are. _Too._"

_She looks so cute when she's pretending to be angry… and HOLD THE PHONE!_

"You know what? Let's just get on with these damn sketches!" I say. I just need… some distraction from Sonny…

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

_"Ugh_!" Sonny falls unceremoniously onto a seat, before she tries to write something on some paper. She even sticks her tongue out.

_This is too good…_

UGH.

As Sonny storms out of the room, I leave too. After what just happened… I really need to think.

Because my own thoughts are seriously freaking me out.

Sonny's POV

Okay. I have to admit – maybe I had a _little _too much fun with that fight… Chad started to look awkward when I asked him if he thought I was hot or not. I think I just completely forgot about everything and just _fought_.

And now… I've totally freaked both Chad _and_ myself out.

Chad Dylan Cooper, he's, well, one of the most innocent-minded sixteen-year-old boys you could _ever _meet. He doesn't think of girls as sexy or hot or anything like that… that's what I love about him (friendship-wise, of course). When I see how he speaks about girls that he has crushed on and stuff like that, well, it's really sweet to see that he never says "sexy" or "hot" or anything that is sexist or something. He calls girls – even me – beautiful, lovely, sweet… he treats girls like _people_ rather than _possessions_. And I'm glad of that. I just wish the girls whodated him already would have noticed how sweet he is and treated him the way he would've treated them. I swear, if I ever dated him…

Not that I will.

Of course not.

So now I have no clue what to do – go talk to Chad? Give him some space? He did seem a little awkward…

Consumed by guilt, I involuntarily walk to Chad's dressing room. His door is open just a crack, so I assume he's in there. When I walk in, he's just sat there, staring into space. I tiptoe over, so not to freak him out with any loud noises, before sitting carefully next to him on the couch. He looks up at me, kind of startled, before he settles down again, resting his head on my shoulder. It feels kind of weird – I'm usually the one doing that to him – but I don't mind.

"Hi." I say quietly. He exhales loudly.

"Hey." He responds emotionlessly. We sit in silence for a few seconds, before he removes his head from my shoulder, looking at me with kind eyes. He ushers me to sit closer to him with his hand, and I do so. We swap positions – now my head is on his shoulder, and he is stroking my hair, his hand moving in rhythm to the beating of his heart. It's peaceful, tranquil… just nice. Honestly? I could fall asleep if it wasn't for the fact we were supposed to be working now.

I inhale, before speaking, "Well. This is nice." I comment. He nods slowly.

"Sure is."

I look up at him, trying not to frown, "Are you, um, okay?" I ask him. He looks down at me for a long moment and his hand pauses on top of my head, before he sighs deeply and continues stroking me like a cat.

"I'm fine." He says. I smile in relief.

"You're not freaked out by, uh…" I wince, not wanting to bring up the fight we just had. Chad smiles sadly, staring into the distance.

"I was." He admits after a long moment of silence. "But I'm better now. We were just pretending – we both know that we don't think of each other as hot or sexy or anything like that."

I smile sheepishly, freaked out but relieved by how up-front he is about the whole subject. "Not at all." I agree, "And I know you're not the kind of jerk to think of a girl as sexy."

Chad laughs, before my words sink in and his eyes widen in shock. "_Not the kind of jerk?_" He repeats. I splutter with laughter at the fake hurt in his eyes, "You sayin' I _am_ a jerk?" He accuses. I smile at him sharply.

"Oh yeah, Cooper." I say, "You're a little meanie, y'know? Bad to the bone!"

And then I explode with giggles at the thought. Chad? Being bad? **(I made a rhyme! xP) **Never gonna happen.

"What are you laughing at?" He asks, pretending to be offended. I just laugh even harder at his innocent little tone.

"You're- such- a- goody-goody!" I smirk. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, really?" He accuses. I nod, "I can be bad," He argues.

"Yup. And I'm America's sweetheart." I say, rolling my eyes. Now it's his turn to laugh.

"No, really. I can be _real_ bad." He tells me, bringing his face close to mine.

"Prove it." I say, smiling at him cheekily. He raises an eyebrow at me, sneering.

"What's say you and I go and prank my dear cast mates?" He asks. I just grin, glad the awkwardness of the situation has gone away.

"Chad Dylan Cooper? Pranking?" I gasp jokingly, before sighing dramatically, "What is this world _coming_ to?"

Chad laughs, "Hey – I was nearly the host of a pranking TV show, remember."

"Yeah…" I say, "_Nearly _is the word there, Chaddy."

Smiling, satisfied, I skip out of the room, Chad following not far behind.

Chad's POV

Okay, so maybe I _can't_ be bad.

Okay, scratch that – I _can_ be bad. Just not be bad and get away with it.

Yowch.

So, the pranks on my cast went fine – no-one suspected a thing. In fact, I think Grady and Nico accused Zora. I feel bad for her – I mean, I don't. Cos I'm bad.

Yup.

So then, cos we were having so much fun, Sonny convinced me to help her prank Marshall, and I did, cos I can be bad. Uh-huh.

Only this time… we weren't as sneaky. Let's just say, when Marshall walked into his office to see us flinging TP over everything and spraying each other with sticky string, he wasn't all that pleased.

And now we're sat being lectured. Yay.

"So, what have you learned today?" Marshall asks, striding in front of us, while we both sit on little plastic chairs, hanging our heads in shame.

"That we were wrong to pull all those pranks and we're very, very sorry." Sonny drones, refraining from rolling her eyes. I just wish I could keep my cool that easily.

"Just don't tell the rest of the cast? Please?" I ask him, adding a kiss-up smile for good measure. I mean, if the others find out I helped Sonny Munroe prank them, I'd be dead.

Marshall sighs, "Fine." He says.

"Oh, and don't tell my Mom either!"

"_CHAD_!"

"Oh, boy."

I wince at the sound of my mother's voice, and almost simultaneously, mine and Sonny's heads turn to see my lovely mother stood at the end of the hallway, face like thunder.

"Too late." Marshall shrugs sheepishly.

As if this was her cue, my Mom strides up the hallway, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me up to my feet. Oh no. It's fifth grade TP-the-principal's-office all over again… well, I suppose I should've seen this coming. I giggle loudly like a little girl when pulling a TP prank – I suppose that's why I never went trick-or-treating after fifth grade when me and my friends were caught TP-ing the principal's office. Then my Mom came to pick me up after my detention and she was furious.

I look at Sonny, begging for help, but I can see that she's just trying to stop herself from laughing. Why that…

"Chad Dylan Cooper, I thought you'd have learned by now! You _do not _pull pranks on people like that! What do you have to say?"

I cringe at my mother's babying ways, shooting a giggling Sonny a look that says 'shut up'.

"Sorry, Sir. Won't happen again, promise." I say, smiling kindly at Marshall, who nods and tells my Mom to take me home.

"He obviously needs some rest; he looks irritable."

Oh. Great. So basically, I'm being treated like a kid now? I guess that's what I get for trying to be bad…

"Mrs Cooper?"

Sonny's voice comes from behind us, and Mom turns around to be met with Sonny's 'I'm-so-sorry' puppy dog eyes.

"I apologise – it was my fault. I convinced Chad to do it. I'm sorry – we've haven't properly met, have we? I'm Sonny Munroe – I work on a show in the studio… I just wanna say, your son is a really nice boy. I apologise for making him do what he did."

I smile gratefully to Sonny as my Mom softens up. She almost smiles.

"Well, thank you for being brave enough to admit it, Sonny." She says, "Would you like a ride home?"

"I have my own car, thanks." Sonny says. _Damn. _If Sonny's not in the car with me, there will be no escaping Mom's rant!

"I thought it broke down?" I say innocently to Sonny, who looks at me like I'm crazy. Then something clicks in her mind and she nods.

"Oh. Yeah. Broke down… a ride home would be nice, thanks."

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding, as Sonny and I follow Mom out of the room.

* * *

><p>The car ride is kind of, um, awkward. Sonny and I are sat in the back of Mom's little car, and she keeps looking back at us like we're convicts that might escape any minute. Lucky for us all, she soon begins talking, breaking the silence.<p>

"So, Sonny…" Mom says. Sonny smiles at her kindly, kissing up for the fact that she is the girl who got Mommy's little boy into trouble. "You're Melody on Melody Falls, correct?"

"Correct." Sonny smiles, obviously happy that Mom knows her. Haha, of course, that's the infamous Sonny Munroe shining through…

"That's nice." Mom smiles (um, falsely). "So, um… how do you… know Chad?"

"We're friends." I say.

"Good friends." Sonny corrects, placing a hand on my knee.

"_Great _friends." I grin, wrapping an arm around her back. "Amazing friends, even." Sonny giggles, and Mom just groans, looking at us in the mirror.

"Uh-huh. Well, that's lovely." She says, "Um, Sonny, is this the road?"

"Yeah." Sonny smiles at my Mom thankfully, and she gets out of the car as Mom pulls up at the side, "Thank you, Mrs Cooper!"

"No problem, Sonny." Mom smiles and waves her off, and the second she steps into the door, Mom speeds off again.

Uh-oh.

Interrogation time.

"So, Chad…" She says warily, "You two are _friends_?"

I blink. "Um… yeah?"

Mom just nods, "Okay… so how long have you known each other?"

"Well, I met her when, uh, probably on my second week at the studio."

"And you've been friends the whole time?"

"No." I admit, "We were sort of on-and-off friends up until recently. But now, well, we're really good friends." I don't want to go into details of Sonny's past and stuff. I'll freak my mom out, I mean – she didn't even know we were friends until, like, five minutes ago. If she found out how important I am in this girl's life, well, she'd probably either go all 'AWW I'M SO PROUD OF YOU', or she'd freak out. I'd rather just keep it on the low-down until I _have_ to tell her.

Luckily, Mom doesn't interrogate me anymore – she just stays silent for the rest of the ride. For that I'm grateful.

We get home, and I head straight to my room for a nap.

Dianne's POV

**(Yay! Mommy POV! That's two unusual POV's in one chap! #proud)**

I poke my head around my son's door while he naps, trying not to laugh as he mumbles to himself incoherently. He always used to do this when he was a kid, when he had something on his mind – he would mumble about a little crush at school, or a big final that was coming up, or something or other.

But now? Now, it feels so much more serious.

Chad is sixteen now – he's no longer my little boy, exactly. It's quite scary thinking of it like that…

And now he's mumbling in his sleep… about this girl. This Sonny girl that he introduced me to earlier. Well, technically.

This girl, well, she doesn't seem like the sweetest girl in the world. She got my little Chad in trouble (okay, I shouldn't be calling him that – he wouldn't like it), but she was a little bit sweet afterwards and apologised for it and everything.

I'm just not sure if I like her being friends with Chad, that's all. I've heard what some people have said about this girl – she's infamously known for having a bad attitude and quite an ego on her. I'm actually quite surprised Chad would want to be friends with a girl like that, but apparently so. And he told me they'd been friends for a while. Why did he hide that from me? Is there a reason? An important reason that I should know about?

But there's more.

I saw something.

Something else is going on between them… I can see it. When they smiled at each other, when she put her hand on his lap, when he put his arm around her.

Friends, huh? Because, honestly, it felt and looked like something completely different.

Almost like… they had feelings for each other. _Serious _feelings.

"Sonny…" Chad mumbles, shocking me a little. "Sonny, I'll protect you… I promise."

…What? Protect her? What the heck does that mean?

"I love you too." He mumbles, snuggling closer to the pillow like it's a friend to hug. Or a… a _girlfriend_.

Okay… this is getting strange.

I close the door, not exactly wanting to hear anymore in case it gets weird… or weirder, anyway.

His phone is sat on the coffee table, and it rings quietly the moment I step into the living room. Curious, I take a look at the caller ID.

'_Sonny x' _comes up, along with a picture of the young girl and Chad pulling faces for the camera.

I don't hesitate for long as I press the 'reject' button on the call.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, that was that, heheh. Just a bunch of awkward Channy moments (Hannah... ACMs! :D) and Chad trying and failing to be a bad boy! *claps* Yay! :P**

**So, what do you think? Lemme just say, we're getting ever-so-closer to Channy's real first date and stuff, and I have a lot of drama and stuff surrounding it! I'm also beginning to plan the SWASecret whodunnit episode, which, if I do it right, will cause some suspense. :P **

**And you've probably realised hardly any of my chaps link to episodes anymore? Hopefully, that will change soon :P **

**So review with your thoughts! See ya later xxx**

**OMG I'm going to see Demi at her signing in London on the 3rd! SOOO EXCITED!**

**Love, **

**~Amy x**


	33. A Forgotten Dream

**A/N: Heyyy all you lovely beautiful people! Have you like, SEEN that review count? I am 9 reviews away from 500! *dies* Pwease make me happy and help me hit 500 this chapter! *BIG I-LOVE-YOU HUG***

**So, lemme tell you what happened with this whole meeting Demi thing. In short - I didn't meet her. -le cry-. All the wristbands were gone cos people camped, then I stood outside the shop waiting for her and couldn't see her past all the people, and then when she left the shop, everyone was crowding around a car that was just a DECOY. So I'm very sad. :'( But oh well... my day will come! ;D**

**Macy- Thank you! And your English is fine - just one thing. 'History' should be 'story'. I know those two words are the same in Spanish and French, which is weird cos they're not really similar. But apart from that, it's really good! :)**

**CDCTheRandomWizard23 - Thanks for your review! I do watch SIU, it's cool :) But I didn't make up ACM's... *blush*. My friend BeingHannah923 did, in her story Don't I Know You? I just put in ACM cos I could :P (PS Hannah, you should get ACMs copyrighted :P)**

**Well, I think that was long enough for an A/N, don't you? :P Let's get on with the story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 32 - A Forgotten Dream<strong>

Chad's POV

_I can't see. I can't see a thing. That is not good – I used to be terribly afraid of the dark, and the fact that this room is freezing cold doesn't do me any help either. _

_All I can see is a figure. A small, hunched over, crying figure. _

"_Sonny…" I breathe. _

_The cries go on. _

"_Worthless…" The figure's voice tremors, sending a shiver down my spine. The room is so dark; I can't really even tell if it's a room, to be honest. I can't see anything but the figure at the end of the… hallway? I honestly can't see. All I know is, from those mortified cries…_

_That that is Sonny. _

"_Pathetic. Pointless. That's what he said."_

"_What _who_ said?" I call to the voice. She just ignores me. _

"_You're a pathetic waste of space. That's it. That's what he said." _

_I take a deep breath, holding it, before walking forward into the unknown. Everything feels so hazy – I feel like my legs could collapse from under me any minute and send me toppling to the ground… but I just have to get to her… my poor, poor friend… I have to help her._

"_Don't need anyone. Anything. No comfort, no love. Nothing. Not worth any of it."_

_Slightly worried the best friend I've ever had has gone slightly mental, I start to regret my decision to walk to her. Heck, I'm not even sure if all this is real. But I seem to have lost complete control of my lower body, and am now unwillingly making my way towards the voice. _

"_Sonny…" I call again. _

"_Might be better off if you just… run away. Run away from here and never come back. No-one would miss you."_

"_Sonny, I would miss you." I say, my heart throbbing against my chest. I swallow my fear hard, feeling it run down my throat, sickly and painful. My head starts to pound, my ears feeling like they're about to burst even though it's deadly silent apart from the small whimpers only a few feet away. _

_I reach the figure, who is crouched on the floor in a ball, facing away from me, sobbing quietly._

"_Sonny?" I ask, kneeling down and putting a hand on her back. She just continues to sob. "Sonny it's okay, I'll protect you."_

"_Go away." She says. My heart throbs again, but I swallow and try to stay strong. "You're no help whatsoever. Why do you even care about me?"_

_"Because- because I love you." I tell her. _

_Deadly silence._

_Suddenly, the temperature gets a whole lot lower. Sonny lets out a low cackle, and I feel my knees begin to quake. _

"Love?_" She laughs, "Dear little Chad… you really fall for all the love crap, don't you? You're the same pathetic little boy that you were back in Wisconsin, and that's all you'll ever be. If you wanna be a real Hollywood star, go grow a pair. Jeez…"_

_The horror pounding in my head suddenly is magnified so much more. Looks like I'm stuck in a nightmare… no way Sonny could talk to me like that. _

"_Grow up, loser!"_

_That. That strikes a chord. If the rest of this nightmare hasn't already set me off, that sentence is the worst of it._

_Because it is not Sonny's voice. _

"_S-Sonny?" I stutter. The girl turns around – her evil grin reminds me of those weird cartoons, or a clown. Only so much scarier. _

"_You… you really think the biggest star in Hollywood would love _you_?" The voice – now male, and horribly familiar – asks me. Unable to do anything else, I nod slowly. 'Sonny' cackles again. _

"_Wrong!" The male voice is so… weird coming out of her mouth. It almost makes me want to punch her, and I would, if the face matched the voice. "Just remember, Chad – no-one cares. No-one did back in Wisconsin, and no-one does here."_

_I remember now. I remember who this is. _

"_James?" I stammer. 'Sonny' looks past me with a smirk, and I turn around to see a dark, tall figure stood where I came from, with his arms folded. A shimmer of light coming from a broken, blinking light on the ceiling illuminates his face – he has dark hair, and is wearing sunglasses. He removes the sunnies from his eyes, raising an eyebrow at me. _

"_Chad." He laughs in the exact same voice that was coming from Sonny, "You haven't changed a _bit. _You remember me? I sure hope so. Because I remember you. I've thought about you almost every morning. Okay, not really. You're not worth the effort."_

_Worthless, pathetic, pointless… Sonny's words echo through my mind. Now I know why she was saying them – they're all the words James called me, back when I was in Wisconsin. _

_Sonny walks up to James' side and folds her arms, looking right at me. I know it's a dream, but at this point, I can't control what comes out of my mouth, and I certainly can't control how I say it. Well, I _am_ in a dream. _

"_What have you done with her?" I yell at James. He just smirks. _

"_I haven't done anything. This is your dream." _

"_So… what the heck is going on?" I ask warily. He just smirks at me._

"_I came to see you with your _girlfriend_. I'm surprised, Chad – she's hot. Smokin'."_

_I could punch that guy for calling Sonny that._

_"Sonny's not my girlfriend." I insist. _

"_Chad, Chad, Chad…" He chuckles, "Wake up, man. Like I – or she – said – grow a pair."_

_I suddenly feel an arm on my shoulder – Sonny. She's looking up at me, giving me one of her egoistic grins. _

"_Come on, Chad." She tells me, "You heard the man – you love me. Prove it. Kiss me."_

…

_My arms drop to my sides. Sonny places her arms around my neck and looks up at me with those chocolate-brown eyes._

_And I can't help myself._

_I kiss her._

_I… kiss her._

"_Sonny…"I murmur._

"_Mhmm… Chad…" She whispers, in between the kissing. _

"_Sonn…"_

"_Chad. Wake up."_

"_But-"_

"CHAD!"

"WHAT?"

I look around sharply, gripping onto the edges of my bed instinctively. My Mom is looking down at me, head tilted, confused.

"Chad, honey, wake up." She says, "Your friend Sonny is here to take you into work."

_Sonny… _for some reason, that name is alarming to hear. But I just can't put my finger on why… did I have a dream about her or something? Let's see… I remember a dream. I remember her crying, then she had James's voice, then James showed up… but there was something else.

Something big.

Something that I just can't put my finger on.

"Cha-_ad_!"

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) that's something that I have to think about later. Sonny's moaning from the hallway just makes me want to get up and see her. I don't know why. Maybe it's just my subconscious, friend-mind thinking that I just wanna run up and hug her.

And so that's precisely what I do.

"Whoa!" Sonny giggles when I fling my arms around her, "Good morning to you too, Mr Hugger!"

I smile at her sheepishly. "Morning." I say in a surprisingly timid voice. Sonny pouts.

"You and your puppy dog-ness… gets me every time!" I can't help but laugh. I don't know why. I just… laugh. Sonny's funny. So what? "So, let's get going!"

I find that, for some reason, my feet feel like they're nailed to the floor. I can't move - I don't _want_ to move.

"No!" I snap as Sonny tries to drag me out of the apartment. She raises an eyebrow at me. "Um- I- I mean… let's just… hang out. It's nine – we have a whole hour till we have to get there." I stutter.

"Oh." I sit down on the couch, and Sonny, with that bashful smile, joins me. I don't notice until when she pulls her hands away from mine that I was holding them, quite tightly actually. "Okay!" She smiles. "What do you wanna do?"

"How about we just… sit here." I exhale, lying back into the couch. Sonny copies, squeezing my right hand with her left one. She grins that sweet grin, and it's now that I notice – she seems to have gone for a much more natural look today. I'm proud to say that she's hardly wearing any make-up – I suppose she's getting slightly less self-conscious? Maybe she's, piece by piece, finally letting go of the bigheaded persona. This is possibly one of the first times I've seen her so… so exposed. So natural.

I have to say – she looks beautiful.

Sonny's POV

Chad's Mom opens the door to me on Tuesday morning, and her eyebrows shoot up when she sees me. Oh, so she's noticed a difference.

I'm being brave today – decided to leave the house with a low amount of make-up on. Just a little lip gloss and mascara, that's all. I have to admit – the walk here was… scary. I left my car at Condor Studios yesterday, and so I walked to Chad's, hoping he could give me a ride in the rest of the way. I was so insecure – it just felt like every pair of eyes I passed was on me. Well, I suppose it's hard to get out of habit, right?

I smile friendlily at Mrs Cooper, pulling down my short denim skirt. Of course, I had to keep the slutty clothing – I'm one of those people who can't rip the bandage off straight away. I'm a soaker instead.

My injuries aren't fully healed, anyway. They won't be for a long time. Maybe not for years. But I'm trying. I really am.

"Hi Mrs Cooper." I say with a smile. She smiles back.

"Hello, Sonny…" She says, scanning me. She looks especially shocked to see my lack of make-up, and I suddenly wish I'd applied blush as my cheeks do, well, just that. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." I say, "Um, I just need a ride into work. Is Chad around?"

Mrs Cooper rolls her eyes lightly, "He's still in bed. He was mumbling last night in his sleep and he's been doing it ever since I woke up. I don't wanna wake him up though – maybe I should've, since you have work and all…"

I sigh with relief at the fact that she doesn't seem so awkward around me, like she was last night… "What was he mumbling?" I ask curiously. She laughs a little.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you…" She says, sounding like a gossipy teenage girl, "But I'm sure I heard him say… say your name a few times."

I stifle a laugh, "Really?" _Wow. _I don't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed. Was Chad dreaming about me? What an honour… ha.

"Yeah…" She smiles, almost compassionately. "Well, Sonny, if you're waiting for him… maybe you could go in and see if he's close to waking up? I haven't checked on him since twenty minutes ago or so."

Pushing past the door, I give Mrs Cooper a thankful smile and make my way to Chad's room. I choke back giggles when I see him lying on bed, mouth wide open, snoring.

Charming.

I close the door carefully behind me, and Mrs Cooper pretty much instantly hops up to me, shocking me a little.

"How'd it go?" She asks me. I smile gingerly.

"Well, he's kinda still asleep…" I admit, rubbing the back of my head, "Rather loudly, actually. He's not speaking or anything, but he's, well… he's _loud_."

"Snoring?" I nod slowly, "Figures." She mutters, "I could've sworn I heard _something_… and Chad doesn't usually snore… he must be having a… nice sleep…" She smiles at me, trying for kindness, "He's not gonna be late for work or anything because of this, is he?"

I shake my head, "No, no. I just felt like coming early… to see him."

"I see…" She murmurs warily, glancing at the door, "Well, no point you being around if he's not awake!" She finishes brightly, passing me and opening the door quietly, closing it carefully behind her. I hear muffled chatter inside, and after a few seconds, she comes out again, giving me a thumbs up, before walking off to the kitchen. I've been to Chad's apartment before, so I know where everything is – I just usually come when Mrs Cooper isn't around. Chad and I were very cautious of explaining our friendship to her, especially after Chad confessed, embarrassedly, that he was a Momma's boy.

Bless.

I wait for a little, and the Sonny Munroe inside me gets bored.

"Cha-_ad_!" I whine, stifling giggles as I hear some crashing in the room. Chad getting up, obviously. My blonde friend smashes into his bedroom door, looking at me with lost, tired eyes. Aw, bless him… he must be really tired. He steps closer to me, looking me in the eyes, before enveloping his arms around my neck, breathing silently into my ear. Saying I'm slightly caught off guard by the hug is an understatement, to be honest.

"Whoa!" I say, masking my shock with a giggle, "Good morning to you too, Mr Hugger!"

Awkwardly, Chad gives me a soft smile. "Morning." He said. Actually, it was more of a whisper. Hmm, what's got him so shy? Chad- well- he's no social butterfly, but he's no caterpillar either. He's like, the cocoon stage. Kinda. My point is – he doesn't usually act this shy. But he looks cute. Puppy dog cute.

"You and your puppy dog-ness… gets me every time!" I tell him with a giggle, and he, suddenly brightening up, laughs too.

"So, let's get going!" I tell him, grabbing his arm and heading for the door, but he pulls me back, his feet rooted to the floor, his hands gripping mine tightly. My eyebrows crease up as he yells;

"No!"

He then clears his throat and lowers his voice, returning to the cocoon-thing, "Um- I- I mean…" He stutters, looking at his bare feet," Let's just… hang out. It's nine – we have a whole hour till we have to get there."

He sits down on the couch, smiling up at me and patting the space next to himself. "Oh." I say, taking the seat next to him. He grins, his hands still wrapped around mine. I dare myself not to look at them or I know I'll blush. I pull them away none-too-forcefully when I feel my cheeks get warmer. "Okay! What do you wanna do?" I ask him. He just sighs peacefully, lying back in the couch.

"How about we just… sit here." He suggests, relaxed. I place my head right against the couch pillow, my breathing instantly slowing down. I unconsciously take Chad's hand in mine, and smile right back at him as he does so. He just watches me for a few seconds, before he blinks.

"You look different." He tells me. My breath catches on my throat.

"I feel it." I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, "Is… is that a good thing?"

Chad smiles bashfully. "It is." He says, "You look… I dunno. More natural? Just less… less plastic. More _you._"

I then realise the difference he has noticed. He has picked up on the fact that my make-up is on an all-time low. Honestly, I've never worn so little make-up – I first started wearing it when I turned thirteen… when _Sonny Munroe _came into the world, wearing those short, eye-catching skirts, big bold sunglasses, and a bold, fake smirk to match.

"I decided to try going a little more natural today." I admit to Chad, trying my best to disguise my blushes with a curtain of hair. I don't think it goes to plan – see, if I was wearing blush or cover-up or something, this wouldn't be happening.

Chad stares at me for a long moment, his eyes boring into mine. I shuffle in my seat, uncomfortable.

"Well, I think you look great 'natural'." He says, putting air quotes around the word. I feel my smile grow, my cheeks redden.

"Y-you think?" I stammer. He nods. "Really? Because, I'm feeling a little… exposed, you know? I mean, I have bags under my eyes thanks to insomnia that some cover-up would've disguised, and then I have this freaky mark thing where I think I got acne as a kid, and it feels really uncomfortable, and-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Chad laughs. I bite my lip, realising I was rambling. "Sonny, you look fine! I wouldn't tell you so if it wasn't true."

I bite my tongue, embarrassed, "Sorry." I mumble, "I just feel kinda… naked?"

Chad smirks a little, his eyes averting from my face. "Well, it's not your face you should be worried about if you're worried about being naked…"

I look down at my attire and chuckle a little. Hey – I'm not fully ready to let go. No make-up, teamed with _really_ slutty clothes. What an odd combination.

"_Perfection ain't always easy…" _Chad reads off my purple crop top, his lips twisting a little, "Well, it's a nice little slogan…"

I roll my eyes, "Portlyn bought it for me." I explain, "Hilarious, huh? I hate it, but I didn't know what else to wear. I needed my sluttiest, most egoistic shirt to balance out the make-up situation."

Chad raises an eyebrow at me, staying silent for a second, before he takes my hands in his and squeezes them tight. He lets go of one hand and caresses my cheek slowly, keeping his breathing almost silent. I feel my whole body freeze up at his touch – probably because of my vulnerability – before closing my eyes and coping his breathing – slow and steady. I hear footfalls behind me, but I ignore them. After a few seconds, he pulls his hand away, and I feel my hand involuntarily reach up to the place where his hand was. Chad grins, and I bite my lip.

"Are you okay?" He asks me.

"Yeah." I say, but my voice squeaks a little and it sounds like wick to my own ears. But Chad seems to buy it.

"Good." He whispers, "Listen – I'm gonna go get changed, so we can go down to the studio and get ready for work. You wait here, kay?"

Unable to find words, because of my still-frozen state, I just nod. He beams, getting up off the couch and walking towards his room. When he closes the door behind him, my frozen state ends. I let my hands fall into my lap, and a breath I didn't even realise I was holding escapes from my lungs, my heart rate slowly to it's usual pace.

Oh. My…

"Sonny?"

I swivel around to see Mrs Cooper looking down at me, slightly confused.

"Sonny, are you okay?" She asks.

"Yes. I'm fine." I expect my voice to come out all squeaky like before, but luckily everything seems okay. Almost as if Chad never did… whatever that was that he did. The only evidence that he did is the memory of his smiling face plastered in my mind, and that _feeling_ in my chest.

"Good, good…" Mrs Cooper takes a seat next to me, her eyes boring into mine for a long minute, before she sighs. "Sonny, can I ask you a question?"

I bite my lip, suddenly nervous. "Sure…" I say, slightly hesitant.

"Um… what exactly is your… _relationship_ with Chad?"

I blink, "We're, um, friends." I say. The word leaves a weird sensation on my tongue. I lick my lips as if that would get rid of said taste.

"I see…" She murmurs, "I've just been thinking… you, well, you seem very close…"

"We are." I admit, "Chad's, well, he's like my best friend."

Mrs Cooper smiles softly. "That's nice." She says, "So, you don't… you know? You're not… more than friends? I've seen things that might suggest so…"

I freeze again as I realise what she thinks. "No, no!" I protest, "Chad and I… we're not in a relationship… no!"

She blinks, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise."

"It's okay." I sigh, suddenly understanding why she might think that. Those must've been her footsteps I heard… maybe she saw Chad and I… doing whatever it was we just did.

Whoops. I put a hand to my cheek, silently praying that it is still not flushed red. Mrs Cooper just continues to smile at me kindly.

"Just be nice to him." She tells me, "It's nice to know he has friends here… that was one of my worries about bringing him here… but if you're there for him and you're going to treat him right, well, then I'm happy."

"That's good." I breathe a sigh of relief. At least Mrs Cooper doesn't hate me, like I thought she would.

"Mhmm…" She mumbles, "I just thought… see, I saw you with him yesterday, when you both got in trouble. I'd heard of your reputation and everything and was just worried. But you seem like a nice enough girl."

"Thanks, Mrs Cooper." I grin. "I get the whole 'reputation' thing… I hate my reputation. But thanks to Chad, I'm letting it go… a little, anyways. But hey – you should be proud. Your son is amazing."

"Someone talking about me?"

I laugh as Chad collapses onto the couch between Mrs Cooper and I, ruffling my hair a little. It's kind of shocking to see him so laid back after what just happened between us… maybe it meant nothing to him? Honestly I've forgotten what it was that's got me so freaked out anyway!

"Hey, Chaddy." I giggle.

"Hey, Sonshine." He retorts, "Ready to take off?"

I check my watch – 9:15am. We have ages to get there, but we might as well go now.

"Let's do this." I say, pulling the two of us to our feet, and we make our way out to Chad's car.

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><p><strong>AN: That's that then. I was planning to add in another scene, but I thought that it would be a whole lot easier for me to put that in next chapter. And don't ask me why, it just would :P **

**So, what's your thoughts? This really was just a random chapter to introduce what's coming next chapter... yes, James will come in. Yes, in my mind, he is James Conroy. Yes, he's finally coming :P **

**Pleeeaassseee review! We're only 9 reviews away from 500! We can do this! :D**

**Love always...**

**~Amy x**


	34. Support System

**A/N: Guys. I love you people. I am on 507 reviews! Which means I MADE IT PAST 500! And it's all because of you wonderful, beautiful, just BRILLIANT people! Thank you so so so so much! -le dies of happiness-**

**channyfan83 - Long reviews are awesome :D And it's okay - better late than never! :D**

**EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - Imagine me singing this. (to the tune of whatever Demi song you wish) Here is an update, an update, an update for (big high note) YOOOUUUUUUU! ;D**

**QTO lover - Heheh. I like your name ;D Thanks for your review. **

**Carol - You were review 501, to be truthful (lol ;)) but it's okay! FanFiction always takes a while to show reviews. Here's a cookie for being my 501st review! *gives you cookie***

**bookwormatheart - Thank you! :D **

**swac twilight14 - Thank you! I wasn't planning to do what you suggested, but I've done it for you. It's really just Chad's thoughts after it happens, because a confused Chad is an adorable Chad :P Enjoy! **

**Well, that was too long. Here comes the real chapter. Yay. I hope y'all enjoy it ;D **

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><p><strong>Chapter 33 - Support System<strong>

Chad's POV

I slam the door behind me, putting my back towards it and planting my palm on my face in embarrassment.

What. The heck. Was _that? _

I don't know what I was doing, to be frank. I think I just got caught up in the moment with Sonny, and then I went and… did whatever that was I was doing.

I have no clue what even _happened. _I mean, what _did_ happen? Well, Sonny and I were talking about her make-up situation, and then I held her hands, and caressed her cheek, and, well – I kind of treated her like my girlfriend or something.

What I did was like something _boyfriends _do for their _girlfriends. _Sonny is _not _my girlfriend, and I know that.

Right?

Heck, nothing "romantic" has happened between us since we were on top of Hollywood Hills and nearly kissed. Even then, we were friends. We weren't _supposed_ to kiss, which is why we didn't.

Fear suddenly strikes my core in. Is… is that what we were about to do back then – _kiss? _Was that what I was trying to do? Charm her and be all sweet and stuff and _kiss her? _I mean, c'mon – what kind of best friends_ kiss?_ Sonny's not my girlfriend – she's more like a sister. Yeah. That's right. Sister. And I'm not one for incest…

Okay. So Sonny's _not _like a sister. She's like a… friend. That's it. A friend. A really, really good friend.

Not a girlfriend.

_Never a girlfriend. _

Okay. Okay, Chad. Calm down. Let's think this through _carefully. _So, Sonny was upset, right? And I, as the _best friend _that I am, was comforting her.

That's it. That's all. Nothing else. I mean, what would even make me _want _to kiss her?

For some reason a little voice at the back of my head is screaming something about a dream. Dream? The only dream I had last night _was_ that one about James and Sonny, but I don't remember anything _weird _happening… (well, actually, it was all weird, but you know… not in _that _way…)

Well, there's only one way to get rid of this problem, for now, anyway – Denial. I'll panic about it later. Now I've just got to get through this day, which means I have to deny that anything weird happened so I can just have a normal day.

Somehow, during all this panicking, I've got myself changed and ready. I usually get something done quicker when I'm not thinking about it – not to top standards, but hey. I realise I'm wearing odd socks, and swap them around before coming out of my room to see Sonny talking with my Mom.

Uh oh. They're talking about me. Gotta stop this.

"Someone talking about me?" I ask, sitting between my two favourite girls. Sonny giggles at me cutely. _Ugh. _

_Remember Chad, denial. _Right.

It's hard, but I somehow manage to completely avoid looking in her shining eyes.

_I can do this…_

Sonny's POV

"So, what were you and Mom talking about?" Chad asks me nonchalantly as we drive toward the studio. It's a typical sunny LA day – the sun is shining bright, the air is warm and comforting. Chad had to remove his jacket. I guess, being a Wisconsinite, he isn't really used to the heat, even after four or so months of living here.

"Oh, just about you." I say. He laughs.

"What about me?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. I smirk.

"Ooh, you know – all the bad stuff. Bad Chaddy!"

My blonde friend blushes, "Shut up!" He moans, making me chuckle. "Do _not_ make me do the whole 'bad boy' thing again… my Mom would kill me!"

"And we wouldn't want that!" I say sweetly, beaming at him pleasantly. He returns a fake smile, before sticking his tongue out at me.

"Mature." I snort.

"Don't care." He replies with a laugh.

We sit in silence for a few seconds, and I let my eyes wander up to the rear-view mirror. I look at my reflection and heave out an unpleasant sigh. I realise a strand of hair is out of place, and so I tuck it behind my ear to be faced with some ugly freakin' _mark _on my cheek.

"Shoot." I mutter, poking at the place where the mark – a _mole_ – is placed.

"What's wrong?" Chad asks, tearing his eyes away from the road for a split second. I just smile it him. I don't want to trouble him on something so pathetic.

"Nothing." I insist with a big fake grin. He nods slowly, turning back to face the road, and I continue to examine my little… problem.

A _mole_? Seriously? What if someone sees that thing? I mean, I've never noticed it before – caking my face with make-up has become such a habit, I haven't even noticed what I'm covering up in a long time. Well now I guess I know that I was covering up that _mess_.

And it's _big _too. Huge. A mole. On my cheek. Right _there. In plain sight._

_Perfect. _

"Stupid mole…" I mumble, reaching for my handbag on the floor. It's then when I realise I didn't bring any cover-up today – I forgot. "Damn it!" I curse quietly, but Chad still picks up on my stress.

"Sonny, are you sure you're okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine." I insist, slightly flustered, "No really!" I say when I hear him take a deep intake of breath to start some big lecture at me, "I'm fine! I just… I forgot something…"

Chad exhales, facing back to the road with an expression that reads 'I'm not even gonna ask', and we sit in silence again before I decide to open my big mouth.

"Tawni has a bunch of make-up in her dressing room, right? She won't mind if I borrow some?"

Chad rolls his eyes, "Don't you even try to _touch_ the stuff." He warns me, "The girl'll have your head placed on a stake for it… even worse that it would be _you_ to use it… why do you ask anyway?"

"No reason." I excuse myself feebly. Chad moans in realisation.

"Sonny…"

"What?" I ask, playing innocent. Chad sees right through me though.

"I know what you want. You want to use it on yourself."

"Maybee…"

"Sonny…" He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"_What_?"

"I thought you were… past all this insecure stuff."

"It isn't _that_ easy, Chad."

He bite his lip. "I know." He says, "Sorry. I was just… I dunno."

"Mmm…" I murmur, resting my elbow on the car door and my head on my hand.

"You're beautiful, Sonny." Chad tells me. I find a weird pleasure at his words, but I shake it off.

"Chad-"

"No, Sonny, it's true." Chad says, pulling the car to a halt and looking straight at me with those azure eyes. I swallow, feeling a lump develop in my throat.

Pssh. Please.

"Chad-"

"Sonny, you are beautiful. You just don't get told it enough – by me or _anyone. _You're so… so stressed outbecause of the media and the people around you who pretty much tell you that you're not pretty enough or thin enough or sexy enough to be a star, and I just find that pathetic! And it's not just you, but so, so many people – famous or not. It's just… just so _stupid._"

"Ch-Chad…" My lower lip begins to quiver. I notice Chad's hands are shaking, and he looks at me with soft, broken eyes.

"Sorry…" He says, "I… Kinda lost it there."

"No, no!" I say, taking his hands in mine, "Chad… you understand. You _understand_. You have no idea how great it is to have someone _understand me._"

It's true. No-one understands. And I know all teenagers say that, but with me it's the truth. And I know they probably say that too, but c'mon – my Mom knows nothing off it – she just thinks I'm crazy. My "friends" couldn't care less, boyfriends I've had couldn't care less either. No-one.

But Chad.

He understands what it's like. He knows the pressure that has been put on me for most of my career. He knows how I feel – I suppose he's in a similar position. He's famous too, right? The press are always shifting and manipulating him, and though not on as big a scale, Chad still sees it.

I wrap my arms around him, blinking back tears of joy. Chad is tense at first, but then begins stroking my back as I let a tear fall.

"You are beautiful, Sonny." Chad tells me again, forcefully, but still somehow gently. "Never let _anyone _tell you otherwise."

"I love you." I tell him.

"…I love you too." He whispers back, "So, so much…"

We get out of the car after a bit more crying and comforting. Chad makes his way to the Prop House, and I tell him I need to get to the ladies' room. It's a lie, I'll admit, but I need to do something…

I run into Tawni's dressing room, finding that she has a whole table laid out of make-up. It's ego heaven, really. The eyeliner, the eye-shadow, the mascara, the blush, the cover-up, her sacred Coco Moco Cocoa lipstick.

I feel like an alcoholic in a room filled with booze.

But I can't help myself.

No matter how beautiful Chad tells me I am, I still can't fully be comfortable. Not like this. Not so exposed.

I turn to Tawni's mirror, and, piece after piece, I begin to reconstruct the slutty make-up face. I know Chad will notice it and he'll moan at me, but I can't take a chance of anyone seeing me like this. It'll cause some weird hype, for sure. I can see it already:

_Sonny Munroe: Not So Perfect?_

I don't like that image.

I look at my completed look with a disappointed sigh. And I was so proud of myself for coming in without make-up, without a disguise – and so was Chad.

But I'm just not ready to let go.

Not yet.

Chad's POV

Sonny walks into the empty Prop House and I grumble quietly when I see her, caked in make-up. So I suppose she found Tawni's 'secret' stash.

"Oh, Sonny…"

She frowns solemnly, "I'm sorry." She says timidly, "I'm sorry, okay? I just…" She looks down to her feet, "I couldn't take it anymore. I'm _not _perfect."

"Nobody's perfect."

"I could be a whole lot closer, though."

I heave out a sigh, before wrapping my arms around my pretty brunette friend.

"Are you disappointed in me?" She asks, her voice cracking dangerously. I don't like hearing her sad. She should be happy_. _She _deserves_ to be happy. I curse myself mentally for making her _upset._

"…No, I'm not." I say after a moment of thought. I can almost feel Sonny relax. "I know it's gotta be difficult – you were taking a big step today. And you lasted a little while…"

"About an hour!" She chuckles humourlessly, "What a pathetic attempt that was."

"It wasn't pathetic." I whisper, "You were brave to even try."

Sonny chuckles again darkly. "You're treating it as if I'm an alcoholic or somethin'."

I laugh a little, "Well, it may not seem as serious as _that, _but c'mon – everyone has their flaws. Their insecurities. Some people live with them, some try to fight them. You were trying to fight it, and just for doing that, I'm proud of you."

I feel Sonny's cheeks curve into a smile, before a small, wet thing trickles down my back.

"Aww, now, don't cry." I coo, making her giggle. That makes me feel great – just to hear Sonny laugh, see her smile.

"I love you." She murmurs, "You know that?"

"…Yeah." I smile, "I do. And the feeling's mutual."

Sonny makes a small choking noise – I'm not sure whether she's laughing or crying, but I wrap my tightly around her and I don't let go. I'm not sure how long we're stood like that – me hugging her as she weeps quietly on my shoulder, but I know it's come to an end when Sonny pulls away, looking at me with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights.

"Footsteps." She whispers, wiping her eyes with her arm, "Act natural."

She skips over to the fridge in the far-right corner of the room, taking out one of the drinks and taking a long swig. I plant my butt on the couch, turning on the TV and plastering a look of distaste on my face.

My cast – minus Tawni, of course – walk in, group rumbling as usual. They freeze as they notice me already there.

"Chad, man," Nico's eyebrows shuffle a little, "how long have you been here?"

I check the time on the TV, before looking up at my friends, "About twenty minutes." Wow. I was hugging Sonny for twenty minutes? "I had to drive this one into work today," I say, pointing at Sonny, "cos my Mom "offered" to drive her home yesterday so her car was still here and she had no ride and was too lazy to walk."

"Hey!" Sonny calls from the corner, putting her drink down, "No fair! It's your fault your Mommy drove me home – that stupid little prank you pulled got us _both _in trouble!"

"Prank?" Zora's head tilts questioningly.

"You _liar_!" I say accusingly, "It was _your _prank, I just happened to show up at the wrong time…"

Sonny rolls her eyes, "Heard _that_ one before…"

"Anyway…" Nico says slowly, staring at both of us in turn, "How about we get to those sketches?"

Sonny's POV

We finished writing the sketches and rehearsals started – we first showed the sketches to Marshall, who loved each of them, which was heartening, I suppose – before rehearsing casually for a few minutes before lunch at 1pm. When we entered the cafeteria _together, _I swear half the people in the room had a heart attack. I heard murmurs of "Sonny Munroe, with the Randoms?" and the like, but I ignored it. It felt kind of nice to be hanging out with the Randoms, even though I was supposed to be hating them.

To be honest, we had fun.

No. Seriously.

It all started when Zora demonstrated the art of 'blowing straw wrappers in someone's face' **(I've done it at McDonalds. Hee-liarious :D)**, and soon enough we were all doing it (with the exception of Grady, who swallowed his and had to choke it back up. I'm sorry, but that was hilarious to watch).

Nico and Grady soon decide they have a 'cheese emergency' to attend to, and Zora, being the sneaky one she is, decides to go follow them.

"So you're leaving me alone with her?" Chad asks the smallest Random, giving me stink eye, putting on a show for the people around us. Zora laughs.

"You'll survive, Chad." She says with a wink, patting him on the back, before striding off. Chad glances at a small group of teens who are watching him with wide eyes, before he turns to me, a small smile chasing away the bored look.

"So," he says, "what do we do now?"

"Let's just hang out here." I say, taking a bite out of my sandwich. Chad nods.

"Kay… what do you wanna talk about?"

"Well…" I sing, putting half a sandwich down on the plate and taking a sip of Coke. "I think we talk way too much about me. Let's talk about you!"

Chad blinks, "Me?" He asks, pointing to himself. I giggle at his innocent expression.

"You, silly!" I smirk, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. "C'mon! We're always so busy panicking about me, I hardly know anything about you! Your past, your family, school life… thinking about it, I don't know _anything_ about you!"

What an amazing friend I am, if I don't know about said friend. I feel awful. The focus has been on me for the whole four months we've known each other, and I don't even know if he has any siblings! Cousins! _Anything_!

Wow. Talk about our whole relationship revolving around _me_.

"Okay, where should I start?"

"Just say anything." I say. I am desperate to learn _everything_ there is to know about my favourite person in the world.

Seriously.

"Okay, well… the obvious things that you know – I'm Chad – duh – I'm sixteen – double duh – I lived in Wisconsin my whole life with my Mom until we moved to Cali four months ago."

I find myself strangely intrigued already, "What about your dad?"

Chad shrugs, "He left Mom when I was about nine."

"Oh." I frown, "Sorry."

"Not a problem." He smiles sadly, "They wanted different things. They realised they weren't right for each other."

"Oh, okay." I say, "So where is he now?"

"Living somewhere in Appleton. Good ol' Daddy Goldfarb… back before we moved to Wisconsin I used to visit him whenever I got the chance. Mom didn't mind – she said it was important for me to still grow up, having a good relationship with my dad." I feel a pang of jealousy. Why is this kid so lucky? His parents split, quietly and simply. And he had contact with his dad too. Heck, he knew where his dad _lived_! I don't even know if my daddy has left the country or not!

"Daddy Goldfarb?" I ask, focusing on that part the most, trying to get my mind off of my failure of a father. Chad laughs a little.

"Damien Richard Goldfarb." He says, "My daddy. When Mom and him divorced, she went back to her maiden name of 'Cooper', and so did I. Which I'm glad of – Goldfarb isn't the most of attractive last names. I remember my third grade teacher smirking when she first heard it."

"Nice teacher." I laugh. Chad rolls his eyes lightly.

"I know, right?" He smirks, "She was cool, in the end. My favourite teacher I ever had, cos the rest were wither just like or worse than Bitterman! But, anyway, back to the main point – Chad Dylan Cooper, a much better name, don'tcha think?"

I grin, "I dunno, I kinda like Goldfarb… it sounds kinda like gold farm!"

Chad chokes out a laugh, "Well, my dad sure wasn't rich, I can tell you that. But, he was cool. Joked in front of my friends, gave me advice when I got my first crush, took care of me… even nowadays, I call him every now and again, and he tells me he watches my show, and we just have a laugh."

I force a smile. "Yeah… he sounds cool." I wish my dad had been 'cool'. My dad has probably never even _seen _my show. When I first had a crush, I had no-one to go to (it's hardly like Mom was gonna help, and as for the 'call him every now and again' and 'we just have a laugh' thing… well, do you think I do anything like that with my dad?

I don't.

Chad must notice my annoyance – he wraps one of his hands around one of mine and squeezes it tight.

"Anyway…" He continues in a quiet voice, "My parents didn't have any other kids – I'm an only child."

I grin, "Finally something we share!" I hold my free hand up for a high five and he returns it, grinning.

"Yup! But it's not like I grew up alone – I have, like, fifteen cousins. In my first few years, at least one of them was, like, always around. I still know some of them – Beth, one of my older cousins, she lives in Los Angeles."

I smile, remembering the time when he told me that his cousin worked in that place where we… uh, had that fake date at.

And did the 'k' word outside.

"So, what about school life?" I ask, elbowing him cheekily, "I bet you were, like, school royalty!"

Chad winces, "You bet wrong. My friends were cool – I was the only one in our group with a brain so they treated me like a god – but apart from that, half the people at school probably didn't even know of my existence until news broke out that I was going to Hollywood to star on a hit comedy show."

"Oh." I say. I suppose I should've seen that coming. Chad's a nice guy, and from what I've heard about high school, to get in with the popular crowd, you have to be a backstabbing, double-crossing, sport-orientated jerk-face. Chad is, definitely, not like that in any way, shape, or form.

"There were some popular idiots who knew of my existence though. For example, there were these three guys. Me and the boys liked to call 'em the Pig-heads."

I giggle, and Chad seems to take satisfaction in my happiness. Aw. Bless him.

"Anyway, they were jerks. Especially to me and my friends. The 'leader', James, was the new guy in seventh grade, and once got some acting job in Harry Potter as an extra and so he thought he was 'it' cos he'd met Emma Watson. And then he got a few other acting parts – nothing huge, but still." Chad rolls his eyes, "So after that, these two other 'popular' guys latched onto him like he was the King of the Morons and, well, then they started to think, cos they were so 'high and mighty', that they could take the mick outta us."

I frown, "Aw, Chad, you were… bullied?" So Chad's life wasn't as perfect as I thought? Well, I guess everyone has their flaws, but how could… how could someone so perfect as Chad be _bullied?_

Chad shrugs, "S'ok. So, it hurt a little, but our group was like, the best support system ever. Whenever one of us was bullied or somethin' – revenge was a dish we liked to serve _together._"

We leave that topic after that, talking about all sorts – Chad's friends, hobbies, aspirations before he got the job in Hollywood (he surprised me by saying one of his plans was to be a doctor. Apparently he was great at sciences and he was planning to go to some sort of doctor's college before he got called for the So Random part), and afterwards we just sit in silence.

And then, when lunch is close to finishing, I hear footsteps into the room.

And the air in the room seems to get cold.

Chad and I look up, just like everyone, to see who has entered the room. Three guys are stood in the doorway. The one stood in the middle has dark-ish hair and dark eyes to match, and he's wearing a smirk. He's good-looking, sure, but he looks like he has just a bit too much ego for his own good. His clothes are dark, too, to match his hair, eyes, and aura – black leather jacket, dark jeans, and black sneakers.

The two boys with him seem to be kind of like his entourage. One has really dark ginger hair and green eyes, and the other is blonde with brown eyes. Both of them are shorter than the guy in the middle, and are wearing slightly more colourful clothing than him, but their smirks seem to match.

The tallest guy searches the cafeteria, scanning it with his cold eyes. He passes us – his friends follow – and he makes his way to the food counter, giving the lunch lady a wide and arrogant smile. I tear my eyes away from them to see that Chad's eyes are down, solely focused on the empty plate on his table. His fringe is covering his eyes, and he is breathing slowly, yet heavily. I can't see his face, but he seems so miserable suddenly.

"Chad?" I frown, placing a hand on top of his. He just stays silent, looking up and past me, to look at the three boys. He gulps loudly.

"I can't believe it…" He murmurs, "No… they can't be _here, _especially after I…"

He doesn't finish his sentence. The dark-haired boy whirls around, his eyes immediately landing on Chad and I, and Chad's eyes shoot back down to the plate. I turn to see that the dark boy is looking at _us, _grinning cheekily.

"Sonny, put your head down." I hear Chad say (only just).

"Why?" I ask, not taking my gaze away from the boy, who is still smiling at us.

"Just do it." Chad hisses, "Don't look at them – you'll provoke them."

I blink. How does Chad know that? Does he know them? Or maybe he just doesn't like the look of them.

"Sonny, stop it - _stop it._" Chad spits, "If they see me…"

"Hey!" The dark boy shouts over from the other end of the cafeteria. I turn around to see that he is looking over at _our table._

_Uh oh._

He saunters over, his friends following him, and places his palm on our table, giving me a twisted smile.

"Hey, beautiful." He grins, gazing down at me with unblinking, sparkling eyes. I don't know whether to call him attractive or not; I don't know why but a small voice in the back of my head tells me it would be betrayal to Chad. Because he obviously doesn't like this guy and it would be betrayal to Chad to think of him as good in any way. Of course.

"Mind if we interrupt your little date?" The tall guy asks, looking from me to a still-hiding Chad and back to me again. He gives Chad a look of part-curiosity, part-amusement.

"We're not on a date." I tell him. The guy smirks.

"Good." He says. I don't know what to reply to that. Apparently, though, Chad does.

"Don't touch her, James." He says sternly, still not lifting his head. I blink. _James? _Chad knows this guy?

'James' just laughs, "I knew it was you, man! C'mon, look at me. It's been too long. I've missed you really." That mocking voice grates on and on, and I decide I really don't like this guy. Not with the way he's talking to Chad.

Chad makes a low, grumbling noise, and James and his entourage laugh.

"C'mon, Chaddy. Don't be such a _baby._"

All eyes, including mine, watch Chad, as he exhales angrily, before lifting it to reveal his scowling face.

"James," He mumbles sombrely, "What are you _doing_ here?"

James shrugs, "I got a part in this week's episode of Hoosier Girl – the big-city bad boy who tries to get the main character to come with him back to the city. I thought I'd bring the guys along this time since it's Christmas break."

"Good for you." Chad says, "But I meant what are you doing _here? _Neither myself nor Sonny are really enjoying your presence."

James raises an eyebrow at me, sneering, "It doesn't seem that way to me." He says, "It seems your girlfriend can't take her eyes off of me."

"She's _not_ my girlfriend." Chad snaps. I scold myself mentally after feeling slight resentment at the fact that Chad is so certain that I am not his girlfriend. Not that I care, duh…

James grins cheekily. "No need to get so defensive, dude. If you got her pregs, I totally understand…"

_That_ crossed the line. For myself, and Chad, it seems. Chad's chair made a horrible noise when he stands up, giving James a death glare.

"Take that _back._" He growls. James lets out an arrogant laugh and by the look on Chad's face I can tell he wants to slap him hard. Well, be my guest, Chad…

"Seriously, stop being such a jackass and leave me and Sonny _alone_."

"Or what?" James asked, getting dangerously close to Chad's face. The two stare each other down, and I'm scared that there's gonna be a throw-down. "I'm not scared of you, buddy. Just because you're some _big Hollywood star_ now doesn't mean you're any better than you were back in Wisconsin. So back down and stop trying to be the hero, because you're just being pathetic. Just like old times."

Chad looks at him. Just looks at him. I tense up as I watch Chad's hands clench into fists, and that's when I decide to jump in there. I don't want poor, sweet, innocent Chad getting into trouble for _fighting_.

"Just walk away, dude." I tell James, getting up from my seat. Him and his little group raise an eyebrow at me, but James steps away from Chad and stalks off. He shoots me a seductive wink, but Chad stands in front of me, shielding me from the jerk. Chad grips my hand as the three walk out of the cafeteria, squeezing it tightly, and he loosens completely when the boys leave.

"I hate those guys." Chad murmurs to no-one, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"Who were they, Chad?" I ask him quietly. Chad sighs.

"The Pig-heads." He says. Oh…

"The bullies from high school?" Chad nods, "Great." I roll my eyes, "So you think they'll be here all week?"

"Hopefully they'll be gone as quickly as possible." Chad says darkly. "But _yeah. _A week with the Pig-heads. _Fantastic_."

Noticing his anger, I take him out of the cafeteria – out of the public place – and hug him.

"You might not have your Wisconsin friends to protect you here," I tell him, "but you have the Randoms. And me. And we're not gonna let them hurt you."

I feel Chad's cheeks curl into a smile, "Thanks, Sonny," He sighs quietly, "You're the best friend ever."

I giggle, "I know." I say with fake arrogance, "Now c'mon. Let's go back to So Random before the Randoms think I've kidnapped you."

The two of us run back to So Random, giggling, and the heavy air James left lifts from above our heads.

"We're your support system now."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there we go! We've met James (who is a jerk :P), and we've had some adorable Channy moments :D I quite enjoyed that chapter, and I think I'm gonna enjoy the next one too :D**

**Guys, I have a question. The next chap I have planned is actually based on an episode - Sonny With A Song - and I'm stuck with what song Chaddy dear could sing, and I don't want to write a song because I can't think of anything. So, I'm turning to you guys for help. So, shoot me some songs in your reviews. It can be anything (I'd prefer it if there were no/limited swears though) - only it has to spark some feelings for Chad and Sonny. It could be about Sonny's insecurities, or about their friendship, or about how Chad is glad to be on So Random, or about James or Tawni or whatever you can think of! The one I can fit in the story the best will be in next chapter! Whoo!**

**So far, I have a few ideas, but I can't pick. So I'm putting it in your hands! Please help and the next chapter will be up quicker! :D **

**So, yeah, I suppose I should ask you to REVIEW! You know how much I love reading your feedback - even if it's constructive! :D**

**~Amy x**


	35. Not A Love Song

**A/N: Heheh. I really need to stop writing this story and try to update other ones. I'm sorry, but QTO is just so darn fun right now :P**

**Thank you for all your pod-awesome reviews. Honestly, we're on 526 REVIEWS!Which means we're 24 away from 550 ;D Ha, I'm such a review lover :P I'd also love to thank you guys for all your song suggestions. There where three in the end that I was really pondering over - Ours by Taylor Swift, Inseparable by the Jonas Brothers, and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. But in the end, I decided *drum roll*... OURS BY TAYLOR SWIFT! -le whoo!- I changed a few of the lyrics to make it fit more with Channy, so if you listen to the song while reading you'll notice a few changes. I recommend listening to a male cover of the song while reading - you'll probably be able to imagine it easier :P**

**I think you guys are gonna luuurrvee this ending. Just sayin' ;)**

**WARNING: AGGHHHH CHANNY MOMENTS ;D**

**Note: Heheheh ironic chapter name or what? :P**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34 - Not A Love Song<strong>

Chad's POV

I can't believe it. James and the Pig-heads are here. In Condor Studios.

_Brilliant_.

I haven't missed those jerks. Not at all. But now they're back.

James is guest-starring in Hoosier Girl? C'mon! He's not even famous – why would they want _him _to guest-star? – and he had to bring all the other pigs as well. Eddie MacDonald and Cory Wilkins – the little piglets that follow the lead-pig around, picking up his leftovers and laughing at everything he says. Seriously, I've met a few people like that in Hollywood, but finding them in _Wisconsin _– it's mental. Well, I suppose dealing with the Pig-heads got me kinda prepared for the Hollywood equivalents, so if anything I'm sorta grateful for that.

Sometimes I just think the Pig-heads are in my life just to bug me. Maybe James hasn't got a part in Hoosier Girl – maybe he's just here to be a big fat jackass and (attempt to) ruin my life in Hollywood as much as they (attempted to) ruined my life in Wisconsin.

Well, at least I've got support system version 2.0 – Sonny and the Randoms. When Sonny and I arrive back at the set for afternoon rehearsals, I explain the situation and my cast envelopes me in a hug, making me feel like no matter what James and Eddie and Cory throw at me, I'll be safe with my buddies.

I hope.

And I hoped right. Chad's Support System Version 2.0 is just as good as the previous. Luckily, I don't see James or any of his minions around much during the week, but when I do, my cast hide me like they're my guardians, and if they try to say anything, they either get me the heck outta there, or confront them themselves.

Sonny is the best member of the system. She pretty much is the reason I don't end up in a fist fight with James – she makes sure that I am never alone, and every time we see the Pigheads, Sonny reminds me that she is there for me, whatever.

What a great friend.

Friday comes almost too fast, which means Tawni is back before I can even acknowledge the rest of the week. I guess I've just been relaxed all week – Sonny and I still had to hide our friendship over the past few days, but because Tawni wasn't around, we could just relax and not be so jumpy and worried to be caught by her. I don't want to spring up a fight between those two ever again.

Marshall walks into the Prop House to inform us that Tawni will be with us a four hours before the show, for our final rehearsals. She got her script on Wednesday and has been learning the parts that Sonny has been practising in her place. Marshall tells us that she loves the script (especially, oddly, the sketches Sonny made up), and that we can rehearse with her later. He then goes to leave, wiping his brow, mumbling something under his breath.

"Everything okay, Marshall?" Sonny asks, receiving shocked glances from Nico and Grady, who are only just warming up to the fact that Sonny isn't that bad. For now, anyway. They'll probably go back to hating her after Christmas hiatus.

Marshall whirls around and sighs resignedly. "Our guest star had to cancel – she's coming from Britain, but the airport she's flying from is on strike and she can't get here."

Nico groans – I think he was set up to (fail to) charm yet another female guest star.

"Now we don't have a singer and we have an empty four minutes at the end of the show… anyone got any ideas of what we could fill it with?"

"Mine and Nico's puppet show!" Grady says brightly, receiving an approving grin from Nico. Not from the rest of us though. We've suffered through the puppet show before – apart from Sonny. She's the lucky one.

"Any other ideas?" A despaired Marshall asks.

"Chad could take her place!" Sonny's small voice calls out. Every pair of eyes turn to her, then to me. I gulp, and suddenly wish I could evaporate into a small puddle.

"Doing what?" Marshall asks.

"Singing, of course!" Sonny grins. I wince.

"Can you even sing?" Nico asks me. I really wish I could melt.

"I've heard him before – he's not half bad." Sonny says casually. Ugh. No, it's okay. Go on, Sonny. Plan my public death, it's cool.

Before I can put in some input of 'no no no, I've never sang in front of people and I'm not gonna start now', Marshall clicks his fingers and grins. And we all know the click-finger grin is final.

"You're in." Marshall says quickly, "Just find a song ready for the final rehearsals and that'll be fine."

And before I can put a stop to this living nightmare, Marshall leaves without a backwards glance.

Great. Singing. In front of people. _Lots _of people. _Millions _of people.

I'm dead.

I've never sang in front of people before. Mom, maybe, while at home, and Sonny, but that's it. I'm not ready to get up on stage and put on some big amazing show like some amazing 'pop star'. It's just gonna be like some mediocre karaoke thing, not some incredible performance that will be shown worldwide on a popular kids show, where people can and will judge me for it – especially the press. And, if they end up watching the show, James and the other Pigheads. They will take much satisfaction when I throw up on stage, I know it. And yes, that will happen – I can assure you.

I don't even know what I'm supposed to sing! Marshall said I have until final rehearsals, two hours away, to come up with something!

I'm really dead.

Sitting in my dressing room, I search through a my guitar book, biting my lip.

"Too old… too hard… too much of a girl's song… okay, that's just weird…"

Frustrated, and realising I only have one hour now, I throw the book on my coffee table, groaning.

"How you doing?" The chirpy voice of the girl who got me into this mess, Miss Sonny Munroe, steps through the door, holding two mugs. "I brought you some hot cocoa – thought you'd need it."

"I do." I say, taking a long swig, before wiping my forehead with my arm. "I am bored of searching. I can't find anything! Marshall needs me ready in sixty minutes so I can go practice my sketches and then get up on stage and _sing. _In front of _people._ _Live._"

Sonny winces, "Yeah. My bad."

"Your bad indeed." I sigh, throwing the book at her, "You find something; I'm taking a cocoa break."

At this precise moment, Sonny phone begins to ring. I realise it's a new ring – one I've never heard before.

"Taylor Swift?" I ask, recognising the voice as it sings against the guitar playing; _Don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at shine…_

"Um, yeah," Sonny giggles, blushing, fishing the phone out of her pocket. I smile, watching her as she speaks to the person on the other line, as her eyes shine in the light.

_Shine_…

Loading my laptop up, I head straight to YouTube and type in the lyrics I heard in Sonny's ring-tone. A song comes up at the top, announced as "Ours". Curious, I open the song, grinning as I realise how much it resembles Sonny and I, our forbidden friendship. Sure, it's a love song, but it still really fits well to us.

And then it hits me.

I'm gonna put this singing on stage thing to good use. I'm gonna sing a song that I can dedicate to Sonny, for being such a brilliant friend.

And I think I know exactly what song to use…

After about fifteen minutes of research (aka listening to covers, etc), I find the chords for the song in a slightly lower key, and start strumming them quietly, humming the tune. Sonny looks up at me from her phone.

"You found a song then?" She asks. I nod, smiling.

"Yup." I say.

"Gonna tell me what it is?"

I shake my head, "It's a surprise!" I insist above her protesting, before she elbows me in mock anger.

"Jerk."

"I know, Sonny. I know."

* * *

><p>"Chad!"<p>

My blonde cast-mate flings her arms around me, smiling hugely. Usually I'd find public shows of affection from Tawni kinda weird, considering they are scarily rare, but to be honest, I'd missed her. You know. A little. I only saw her on Sunday though – it isn't really that long ago since we last spoke.

"How's your week been?" Tawni asks me, a warm smile on her face. It feels nice to see her _happy _again – like old times. Those times before Tawni was on revenge path against Sonny. To be honest, I used to really like Tawni as a friend, before we had the whole Sonny mess. I hope we can go back to that, now she's had time to calm down and forget about it all.

"Pretty good." I admit, telling her the story of James, how our rehearsals have been going, how we had someone to rehearse in her place to make things easier. When she asked if the 'rehearsal Tawni' was any better than her, I told her "No". I wasn't sure whether that was a lie or not.

I also didn't tell her that this 'rehearsal Tawni' was Sonny. I also didn't tell her all the other Sonny-related bits – that it was Sonny's idea (cough, fault) that I was singing on the show, or that Sonny used some of her make-up, or that Sonny and I had pulled a few pranks and got in trouble for them. I thought it would be best to keep Tawni away from Sonny for as long as possible – I didn't want to cause any sparks to set off. This is our last day at the studio before we go on break for a month – I just want this day to be completely drama-free.

Well, so far, so good. Everything is totally normal. Well, as normal as life on a kids' sketch show that is rehearsing its Christmas episode can be, that is.

We rehearse all our sketches, and about an hour before the show, Marshall asks me to rehearse the song. It's gonna be acoustic – I don't have the time and Marshall doesn't have the patience to find people to play the other parts of the song. It's okay anyway – I found a cover on YouTube that I've practiced to that is acoustic, so I'm all set. All I need now is to not. Throw. Up. While performing.

Yay.

After I finish practising the song, Tawni bundles up to me immediately with a wide grin, wearing her elf costume for a sketch.

"Who's the song about, Chad?" She asks me, folding her arms and smirking suspiciously.

"Uh, no-one, Tawn."

Tawni just chokes out a laugh, "Yeah, right! You looked like you were thinkin' about someone when you were singing it. So… who is she?"

She doesn't look too jealous as she says this, which makes me smile. Maybe she's got over her unreturned feelings for me, which is a relief.

I still can't tell her that the song's about Sonny, though.

"It's just about a friend, Tawni." I tell her. She blinks.

"What friend? Do I know her?"

"No." I lie quickly, before regaining my cool (if you can call a normal me 'cool'). "No, no, it's a friend from Wisconsin. I was kinda hoping she'd see the show and know that I miss her. The song kinda explains our relationship."

"Aw!" Tawni coos, placing a hand on her chest, "Singing a romantic song to a girl on live television! That is so romantic!"

Aw. See? Tawni's totally got over her feelings for me…

Wait.

"Romantic?" I repeat, my eyes widening a little. Tawni nods, the bobble on her hat bouncing.

"It's obvious! You're singing a romantic song, for a girl!"

Oh, crud…

"Tawni, she's not like, my girlfriend or anything! We're just friends, I swear! It's just… been a rough friendship…"

"Mmm…" Tawni raises an eyebrow at me, the smirk returning to her face. She obviously believes she's right.

_Which she isn't._

Right?

Sonny's POV

"Alrighty. Here it comes."

"You ready?"

Chad flicks his blonde fringe out of his face. "Sure. Singing. Live. In front of millions of people watching at home. I can take it."

I laugh a little, biting my lip. I've been watching the show from backstage, hidden so that the other Randoms don't know that I'm here. Chad told me that he _wanted _me to see the show, first-hand view. He told me that he wanted me to see the song, because he said it reminded him of us.

So, that's why I'm here.

Hi.

Basically, I'm Chad's support right now. He's just about to go on – the cast have a couple of sketches without him in which he was told that he had to get changed out of his costume and warm up his voice.

Chad smiles at me gingerly, singing an arpeggio to himself. Well, if he was going to go out there and get embarrassed, he wouldn't want it to be because of awful singing. His words, not mine.

"I- am- so- dead- thanks- to- you…!" He sings, giving me a wink. I stifle a laugh.

"Shut- up- and- just- get- it- done…!" I mock him, waving my hands around for emphasis. He smiles, adjusting his microphone and turning to pick up his guitar. He slings the guitar strap over his head, strumming the black guitar a couple of times, before looking up at me and striking a pose.

"How do I look?"

"Like a superstar." I tell him, grinning. He laughs, his smile a mile wide. Our eyes connect for a second, and suddenly, he slings the guitar over his back, walks over and hugs me tightly. I'd be lying if I said that butterflies aren't going crazy in my chest right now. I'd be lying if I said I'm not blushing crimson.

I'd also be lying if I said I knew _why. _

"I hope you enjoy this song." Chad murmurs into my ear, "It's for you."

I make a weird cooing sound that makes me sound like a bird. Pfft. Sad. Why should I be so excited that Chad's singing a song for me? I mean, it's just a song, duh.

…

"I love you."

_Dammit, heart, stop throbbing! _I swear Chad can see it popping outta my chest. Meh.

"I love you too, Chad." I say, kissing him softly on the cheek. It gives me a weird sensation on my lips though, which is kinda, uh, weird…

And then I meet Chad's eyes.

Chad's eyes.

Chad's blue, _blue_ eyes.

His freakin' _eyes._

Which are so, _so blue._

And so sparkly.

And so, so _perfect_…

"Please welcome to the stage: Chad Dylan Cooper!"

_Shoot_… Chad gives me one last smile and runs off, onto the stage, leaving me alone and shaking.

_What just happened?_

"Hey everybody!"

Chad's voice rings in my ears. And then I hear the strumming of chords. I look through the curtains, my heart beating so loud that I can only just hear the guitar.

And then he starts singing.

_Elevator buttons and morning air  
><em>_Strangers' silence makes me wanna take the stairs  
><em>_If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares  
><em>_But right now, my time is theirs_

_Seems like there's always someone who disapproves  
><em>_They'll judge it like they know about me and you  
><em>_And the verdict comes from those who don't have a clue  
><em>_The jury's out, my choice is you_

_So don't you worry your pretty little mind  
><em>_People throw rocks at things that shine  
><em>_And life makes love look hard  
><em>_The stakes are high, the water's rough  
><em>_But this love is ours_

_You never know what people have up their sleeves  
><em>_Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me  
><em>_Lurking in the shadows with their lies and fake smiles  
><em>_But I don't care 'cause right now you're mine_

_And I say  
><em>_Don't you worry your pretty little mind  
><em>_People throw rocks at things that shine  
><em>_And life makes love look hard  
><em>_The stakes are high, the water's rough  
><em>_But this love is ours_

_And it's not theirs to speculate  
><em>_If it's wrong and  
><em>_This thing is tough  
><em>_But it is where we belong and  
><em>_I'll fight their doubt and give you faith  
><em>_With this song for you_

'_Cause I love your beautiful teeth  
><em>_And I love the way that you speak  
><em>_And any snide remarks from my friends about who you are will be ignored  
><em>'_Cause my heart is yours_

_So don't you worry your pretty little mind  
><em>_People throw rocks at things that shine  
><em>_And life makes love look hard  
><em>_Don't you worry your pretty little mind  
><em>_People throw rocks at things that shine  
><em>_But they can't take what's ours  
><em>_They can't take what's ours  
><em>_The stakes are high, the water's rough  
><em>_But this love is ours_

_..._

_..._

_..._

And then… the thunderous roar of applause begins.

The So Random set is filled with cheering, screaming, excitement; the audience seems to be going wild.

But I can only see one thing.

_Chad._

The boy flicks his blonde hair out of his face, a wide grin spreading across his face. The rest of his cast rush onto the stage in a blur as Chad wishes the audience a good night and a merry Christmas.

I can't really focus on anything though. I just keep thinking about that song. That _love song. _A song about two people… _in love._ I don't know what to feel – shock, happiness, confusion, faintness. One emotion seems to come out on top, though. One very, very strong feeling.

The closing music plays and the curtain falls, and the So Random cast run off the stage, towards me. I hide myself behind a curtain, waiting for silence. When I'm certain the Randoms have all gone, I come out from my hiding spot only to bump into a tall figure. I glance up at the figure's face, and my breath catches on my throat.

"Chad…" I breathe. His smile widens.

"Sonny!" He laughs, embracing me in a large hug. I try to swallow the lump in my throat, but just end up choking.

"You okay?" Chad asks me with worry.

"Yeah," I splutter out a lie, "I'm… I'm fine."

"Did you like the song?" He asks.

"I loved it!" I tell him. Okay, so this bit _isn't _a lie… "It was so beautiful! I love that song… I mean, when Taylor sings it, it's just so darn cute…"

"Yeah." Chad shrugs, "Cute little love song. 'Course, it wasn't a love song in our case, duh. It was just about, like, our friendship and stuff. Right?"

And with those words, the Technicolor of emotions come tumbling down.

_Friendship._

Of course.

I should've guessed that he only thought of us as _friends._

Okay, fine. I admit it. I wasn't thinking of Chad and I as friends whilst he sang that song. I was thinking of something so, so different.

But he wasn't.

"R-right." I stammer, friendlily punching him on the arm. "Buddy."

Chad laughs, "Cool. Hey, um, do you wanna hang out in my dressing room for a bit? Everyone else is going home and I thought we could have an awesome little Christmas party for ourselves."

I swallow my sorrow and self-pity and nod, plastering a smile on my face, "Yeah, sounds great."

"Awesome." Chad says, oblivious to my confusion. "I have to go say goodbye to the guys, but after that, I'll meet you in there, yeah?"

"Got it."

"Oh, and Marshall said that we need to clear out our dressing rooms for the hiatus. Maybe we could help each other?"

"Um, no, it's okay." I say, realising this is the perfect opportunity for me to do some thinking, "I- I'll sort mine out now, while you say bye to your cast."

"Kay." Chad shoots me one last smile, before bundling of to see his cast. I watch him, frozen for a second, before I collapse to the floor; confused, shocked, unsure, hurt, but still, that one emotion comes out on top.

No more lies. I'm just going to tell the truth about this.

If there's one thing I've learnt today, it's this: I really am in love with Chad Dylan Cooper.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: WHOOOOOOO-HOOOOO!**

**Is anyone else as excited as I am now? SHE ADMITTED IT! I dunno why I'm so excited, I knew it was coming, but still... :P**

**So, what do you guys think? Loved it? Hated it? Think I absolutely ruined it? Tell me in a REVIEWW! :D **

**I sure hope y'all enjoyed that. And don't worry, their 'hanging out' will happen next time. I have a very nice plan. ;)**

**And their official get-together is getting closer! So be patient, my little ducklings :P **

**Review, please! ;D**

**~Amy x**


	36. Wishes and Wounds

**A/N: I am, like, so proud of myself. I got this chap done in a DAY. Yes, you read right. A day! I started writing it this morning in bed, and well, here it is! And I did go out for most of the afternoon (I went to watch The Hunger Games - it was so cool!) And okay, I'll admit it isn't the longest chap ever, but it's a chap, right? It's like, the second half of last chap... I guess. Yes. **

**KellyTheLovatic - You're a duckling because I say so. Mwuhahahaha! Also, I forgot to mention last time - the song you wrote was really sweet, and it really fit with what's happening this chap! So you are cool! *thumbs up***

**swac twilight14 - I'm always too lazy to login ;D**

**channyfan83 - Gahh! You rock! You're like, AWE-SOME. Yes. So here is the chapter for yooouuuu...**

**Julie - Here's the chap! Don't have a heart attack! **

**All in all, I'm glad y'all enjoyed that chapter. And don't worry, there's plenty of Sonny obsessing over Chad to come. And they WILL get together - I have, like, the next 5/6 chapters completely planned out :D**

**Enjoy! I don't own SWAC, because I think if I did you'd all be worshipping me for the amazingness :P I forgot to mention last time that I don't own Ours by Taylor Swift, and I also don't own For The Love of A Daughter by Demi Lovato.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 35 - Wishes and Wounds<strong>

Sonny's POV

I stumble into my dressing room that I've been using while guest-starring on So Random, sighing loudly. This dressing room is slightly smaller than my Melody Falls dressing room, and it has more variety of colours rather than just pinks. This dressing room has a blue wall, a green wall, and the other two white; a small, purple rug, and a white vanity. It also has a large TV, a green couch like the one in the Prop House, and a piano for musical guests to use to practice if needed. One of the white walls is lined with photos of celebrities who have stayed in there, along with a message from the celebrity.

I notice an old-style camera on the vanity and smile weakly. Picking up the camera, I take a picture of myself, forcing a smile, and when the picture prints and dries, I write a message along the bottom in pink curly writing:

_"Thanks for having me, Randoms!_

_Thanks for the laughs._

_TV's Sonny Munroe x"_

Now to clear the room, like Marshall asked. I find my bag in the corner of the room, and stuff everything in there - my make-up (which, after Tuesday's mess, I don't leave the house without), magazines, a photo of Chad and I that usually sits on my bedside table at home, and my songbook, which is sat open on the piano at a song that I was playing earlier.

I put the final pieces of that song together a few hours ago, while the Randoms were rehearsing. It's a song I started ages ago, but I hadn't touched it in about a month because of all the hard work on Melody Falls and So Random. It's a song I started to write one night when I was feeling empty, thoughtful. It's a song about loss, about pain, about wanting something, or someone, far out of reach.

It's a song about my father.

Of course, I haven't thought about or grieved about my father properly in weeks. Ohhh no. I've been too busy drooling over Chad Dylan Cooper; something which actually shocks me to admit.

Who would've thought that this would really happen? Surely not me, for one. I mean, I thought I hadn't felt this way about Chad for a couple of months, but since he sung that song… something just clicked.

This is wrong. All so wrong. I don't _want_ to have these feelings for Chad. They are unreturned, after all. Chad would never think about me that way - sure, he kissed me once, but that was way before even his sixteenth birthday! He hadn't been in Hollywood long back then (probably only a month or so, if even that), and he was just probably overwhelmed to be in such close proximity to a Hollywood star. No way does he, or did he ever, have feelings for me.

Nope.

Okay, maybe he had a crush on me, but could you blame him?

…Ignore that egoistic comment.

Point is, I am his best friend now. Not crush. Not girlfriend. And, in his eyes, that's all I'll ever be.

It makes me feel sick. So sick that I can be so _weak_. For a _boy_. Before Chad, I was the girl who needed nothing, loved no-one. Really I was just hiding behind a persona, slowly shrinking away underneath it all. When Chad came, I thought I was getting stronger, but now I'm not quite sure.

Has Chad really made me stronger? Or has he made me weaker? Because, to be truthful, I've never felt love like this before - lust, very fake lust - but not love. Not love that makes my head spin, my heart pound. Not love that makes my knees like jelly, not love that causes my lungs to malfunction.

Not love that somehow makes me not work properly as a human being, like a broken-down piece of machinery.

Because this isn't just love. It feels like a disease. It feels like some sort of pathogen has invaded my body and is tearing away at the hard shell, leaving some weak, pathetic thing behind.

I never feel exposed with Chad. Chad makes me feel safe. But now, things have changed.

Surely I can't have fallen in love in the space of three or four minutes? No. Because this isn't that kind of love. I'm not some kind of Mary-Sue who falls in love with every good-looking guy she sees only to have her heart so-called 'broken' afterwards. This love I'm feeling has built up over time, hiding away in my core; developing, growing, waiting for just the right moment to overflow and get out of control, like a cancer.

I don't know if I even _want_ this love, because it _hurts_. It makes me feel dizzy. It makes me feel numb. It makes my heart ache most of all though, because I know that no matter how much I love Chad, he will never love me back in the same way. And besides, even if Chad _did_ happen to feel the same, it just wouldn't work out. We're not meant to be a couple - right?

...Right?

Right. I mean, we could put a risk on our friendships – with each other _and _other people (the Randoms spring to mind here) – we could put risks on our reputations, our jobs, our lives.

We couldn't... We wouldn't...

And yet, a small voice inside of me tells me that we _must_. And we _will_.

_Ha_. How weak and stupid that part of me must be.

I make my way to Chad's dressing room, hoping he'll already be there so I can't let my mind wander again. I'm worried that I'm actually going to cause myself mental pain with these thoughts about Chad which I really shouldn't be having. Maybe, if we just hang out, like _friends_, all these weird feelings will just go away.

I hope.

But Chad isn't here yet - it's just an empty, quiet room. I sigh, taking a seat on the couch, opening my songbook. Bored, I flick through the whole book - being met with songs about butterflies and rainbows and stuff from when I was really young, and developing to songs about boys and love and friendship, from more recent times, and then I reach the page with the song about my Dad.

Tempted, and with a great idea to stop my mind from wandering to... other matters, I sit down at Chad's piano and begin to play the song. It starts off as an excuse to get my mind off of Chad, but soon, I really start to put emotion into it. I play the first few bars, humming the melody quietly to myself, imagining myself singing the words to my birth father. Telling him how much I love him, need him, miss him. How much he has ruined my life, my family. How much I wish he could just come back to me, and we could just be like a normal family. He could scare off boyfriends and watch movies with me and embarrass me in front of my friends.

Is that too much to ask? To have a normal life? Because sometimes, that's all I could ever want.

Maybe that way, my daddy would still be around. Maybe that way, I would live as the sweet, kind Allie Munroe I used to be.

Maybe that way, Chad would be mine.

I bite down on my lip, hard, as a punishment for bringing Chad into this, pressing the piano keys harder as I get into the chorus. I don't know whether this is because that is the way I wrote it, or the fact that I am starting to remember, really, how much pain my father really caused me. I then remember the pain Tawni caused. The pain the press have caused, the pressure, the public, the paparazzi…

The pain _Chad_ has caused…

"Wow…" The sound of the soft voice alerts me to stop playing. Mumbling incoherently to myself, I get up off of the seat clumsily and slam my book shut, causing it to fly off the stand. A blonde figure rushes towards me, picking up the book and handing it to me. I wipe a strand of hair out of my face and try to smile at the figure.

"Sorry! I was just, um, sorry…"

"No, it's fine!" Chad laughs, "Your song sounded really good."

I blink, "How long have you been stood there?"

Chad shrugs, "Thirty seconds, maybe? Seriously, though, your song is really good! Can I hear it? You know – all of it?"

This is not what I wanted. I wanted a distraction from Chad – and with Chad here, listening to my song, well; it'll just mean I have one more thing that I can associate with him.

How I loathe these _disgusting_ feelings.

Unbeknownst to my mind, my feet have moved towards the piano. My butt has sat on the chair. My fingers have started moving across the piano in a warm-up fashion. Chad sits next to me – a little too close for my liking – and scans the pages of the book with a lopsided smile.

"'_For The Love of a Daughter'…_" He reads from the top of the messy page. I bite my lip. I've never actually shown someone this song. I have sudden regrets – probably from anxiety. Is it gonna be too cheesy? To revealing? Too pathetic?

Chad continues to smile nonetheless, "It's about your dad?" He asks, his face softening. Unable to speak, I just nod. "I see…" He says after a pause, seeming unable to think of anything else to say. "So, any time you're ready."

I swallow heavily, "C-can you turn the pages for me?" I ask him. Maybe it'll keep him focused on the music rather than me so I won't have his gaze burning down at me. Chad nods, watching me expectantly. Taking a deep breath, I begin to play.

_Four years old, with my back to the door  
>All I could hear, was the family you wore<br>Your selfish hands, always expecting more  
>Am I your child, or just a charity ward?<em>

_You have a hollowed out heart  
>But it's heavy in your chest<br>I try so hard to fight it  
>But it's hopeless<br>Hopeless  
>You're hopeless<em>

I hear the sound of a page turning and momentarily look up at Chad. His eyes and on me and he smiles softly, and as my heart begins to speed I turn quickly back to focus my eyes on the paper, letting myself go in the music.

_Oh father, please father  
>I'd love to leave you alone<br>But I can't let you go  
>Oh father, please father<br>Put the bottle down  
>For the love of a daughter<em>

_Ooh_

_It's been five years since we've spoken last  
>And you can't take back what we never had<br>Oh, I can be manipulated only so many times  
>Before even 'I love you' starts to sound like a lie<em>

_You have a hollowed out heart  
>But it's heavy in your chest<br>I try so hard to fight it  
>But it's hopeless<br>Hopeless  
>You're hopeless<em>

I have to admit, by this moment, I barely can acknowledge the fact that Chad is still here. My mind is just… completely focused on my dad. This is the first time I've played the song all the way through, and it doesn't sound like a song to me anymore.

It sounds like a plea; a desperate cry for help.

_Oh father, please father  
>I'd love to leave you alone<br>But I can't let you go  
>Oh father, please father<br>Put the bottle down  
>For the love of a daughter<em>

_Don't you remember I'm your baby girl?  
>How could you push me out of your world?<br>Lied to your flesh and your blood  
>Put your hands on the ones that you swore you'd love<em>

_Don't you remember, I'm your baby girl?  
>How could you throw me right out of your world?<br>So young when the pain had begun  
>Now forever afraid of being alone<em>

_Oh father, please father  
>I'd love to leave you alone<br>But I can't let you go  
>Oh father, please father<br>Oh father, please father  
>Put the bottle down, for the love of a daughter<br>For the love of a daughter_

I drop my hands in my lap the moment I hit the last note. I feel something wet trickle down my cheek, but I am too lost in thoughts to wipe it away. Too lost in thoughts of a man – my so-called father. The one I truly haven't grieved about in months. The memories of him come flooding back; water rapids in my brain, causing me to lose all train of thought against the waves. This song is really my plea for help, for him. My plea cannot really be heard here though. Not among all these waves of confusion and pain and memories and loss.

"Sonny?" The gentle voice of my onlooker rings in my ears, but I still can't find the words to say or do anything.

What is wrong with me? When did I turn into this puny, pathetic, pointless little _mess? _I thought everything was going well, but I was so wrong. _So _wrong. Because I'm not getting stronger. I'm getting _weaker. _

A frail, pathetic pile of nothing, I cave in and fall into Chad, sobbing into his chest.

Chad's POV

I hate seeing Sonny in pain.

Sonny is so brilliant and beautiful when she's happy. So then, when something happens that opens a huge can of worms and cause her pain, what am I supposed to do but sit and cradle her in my arms like a friend should?

Exactly. So when Sonny collapses in my arms and begins to cry after she sings me the song about her dad, that is precisely what I do. And when she stops crying, I wipe the final tear off of her cheek and give her a small smile which makes her blush furiously, which is kinda odd…

But anyway.

"Feeling any better?" I ask her, and she nods, wiping an arm across her eyes carefully.

"Yeah. Sorry." She says, cringing. I blink.

"No need to apologise. I don't blame you for having a little moment… that song was emotional."

"Yeah…" Sonny sighs miserably, "The emotion only just hit me. Fun, huh?"

"Joyous." I agree, making Sonny giggle. The sound is pretty much like music to my ears. "Cum'ere beautiful." I say, wrapping my arms around her and embracing her in a long hug, because she deserves it.

The response is kind of… weird, if I do say so myself. Sonny doesn't hug me back like usual. She just sorta sits there with her hands in her lap. Is that a good thing? Or should I be worried? Why am I even asking myself? I decide to just push it to the side, I mean, I have bigger problems, right?

"_What the?_"

…Right.

I pull myself away from Sonny like she's suddenly become infected (which she hasn't. I could hug that girl forever) to be confronted by Tawni, who is stood in the doorway of my dressing room, with her mouth wide open, gapping.

"Tawni…"

Before I can say anything, Tawni turns on her heels and storms off, down the hallway. I look to Sonny helplessly, and she nods, understanding exactly what I need to do. I smile thankfully at her. The best friends are the ones who understand you perfectly. Like Sonny with me. She just _knows_ me.

So I follow Tawni out of the door, and down the hallway. Eventually I find her in her dressing room, looking miserably at her reflection in her mirror. The moment she notices me in the background of the reflective image, she puts on a pout and folds her arms, pretending like I'm not there.

"Tawni, please let me explain before you get all angry at me."

"Too late." She snaps, "I'm already angry. You were _hugging Sonny Munroe!_"

I roll my eyes. This is gonna take some time… "Okay, I was." I say, running a hand through my hair, "But there's a reason – she was crying, okay?"

"Oh." Tawni says, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "So you just hug any crying girl?"

"It's not like that!" I groan, "And why are you acting like this?"

Tawni gets up off of her seat, twirling around to face me, glaring menacingly, "Because, Chad, in case you didn't notice, you were _hugging Sonny!_"

"I know!" I yell right back, "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'll hug you too!"

"Oh, great!" Tawni cries, "Why don't you go around hugging everyone then? Nico! Grady! Zora! The creepy lunch lady! I'm sure you won't mind!"

My jaw drops open, "Okay, Tawni, let's get one thing straight." I say, pointing a finger in her face, "Sonny was _crying. _She was upset about her father and, as a kind person, I thought it would be nice to comfort her! I'm not like you – I don't turn my nose up at anyone who's not primped and perfect, because unlike you, I actually _have _a heart!"

Tawni's shoulders then slump at my words. She looks kinda… in shock. I gulp loudly.

"Tawni, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No, you're right." Tawni says, shaking her head slowly, "I am a… total bitch, I know." **(A/N: Sorry for the swear… :P) **She chuckles forcedly, averting her eyes from my face, "I mean, you can understand why I freaked out, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Yeah." Tawni smiles sadly, "I thought you two were… anyways. I know that would never _really _happen, right?"

"Right." I agree. Tawni's smile becomes real now. She wishes me a merry Christmas and a good break, before leaving the room. I watch her with a triumphant smile.

So I guess Tawni really has calmed herself down…

Sonny's POV

I watch Chad go, sighing forlornly.

He doesn't love me.

He would stay with me if he did.

But he doesn't.

The tears start up again, but for a completely different reason.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, that chapter was so much more angst-y than I expected. But oh welll... we had some cute Channy moments, right? **

**Hope y'all liked the random involvement of another song :P I should really start writing my _own _songs to put in here. I will, soon. In fact, I have one planned, which is gonna come about after Channy's first date... *suspicious wink***

**Please review! I'm going to school tomorrow and I wanna wake up to some really sweet reviews to cheer me up ready for the new term... *eye roll***

**I am gonna be starting my exams in May-time, so I should really start revising. This means that I might update less often, but hey, we shall see!**

**Like I said - review!**

**Lots of love...**

**~Amy x**


	37. Home For Christmas

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm really glad you all loved the last chapter, cos I loved it too! And fear not, my dear Channy fans... their first date is drawing _ever_-so-nearer... *suspicious wink*. **

**Slinky Flower The Lovatic - Thanks for that! I'll change it when I get the chance - I thought it was 'loved', but I wasn't really paying attention when I wrote it up :P**

**channyfan83 - You rock. I love you, girl :P Long reviews are great reviews! There will be a sequel, based on the second book, I think - Catching Fire. And don't worry - I have a song planned that I wrote, only a few chapters away! **

**KellyTheLovatic - Quackidy quack :P**

**Chapter time! I don't own Sonny with A Chance... :(**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 36 - Home For Christmas<strong>

Chad's POV

Hiatus is boring.

Seriously. This is my first time in Hollywood that I've ever not been working during the weekdays, and it's just. So. Dull.

The only person who makes it bearable is Sonny.

My bestest girl bud somehow finds a way to see me every single day, for at least a few hours. I worry that she's getting bored of me, but when I ask about my worries four days into hiatus, Sonny just shrugs and says;

"I could never get bored of you."

So that makes everything fine, I suppose.

On the first Tuesday, Mom informs me that we'll be going to Wisconsin for Christmas, while Sonny is around. The moment Mom leaves the room, Sonny's shoulders droop.

"You're leaving me." She mutters quietly. I wrap my arms around her, and she loosens immediately, a satisfied smile showing on her face.

"Only for Christmas." I whisper into her ear, kissing her softly on the head. I've been kissing her on the head a lot recently – I did it on Saturday and panicked cos I thought she'd find it weird, but Sonny just smiled when I did it and told me it made her feel loved, which I took as an acceptance. It's not a big problem, is it?

"I promise I'll be back, okay?"

Sonny shrugs, trying to act like she's angry with me even though her facial expression and little giggles every couple of seconds make it totally implausible, if a little funny.

And cute.

"Will you be back as soon as possible?" Sonny asks, pouting. I tighten my grip on her in protective instinct and kiss the top of her head.

"As soon as my Mom lets me, I'll be rushin' outta there to get back to my special girl."

Sonny blushes a furious shade of crimson – not my intention – and burrows her head into my chest, relaxing as I begin to massage her scalp.

And then our peace is destroyed by the none-to-tranquil sound of my mother clearing her throat. Since Mom found us… cuddling on Sunday, she's being very cautious whenever Sonny's around, so to not walk in on us and claim (very unjustifiably) that we are a couple.

Which we're not.

So, whenever she hears silence and is about to enter the room, she makes sure we know it. Sonny and I pull away from each other hastily – Sonny scratches the back of her head and I stretch out on the couch, giving my mom a wide smile.

"Hello, mother dearest." I chirp. She gives me – and then Sonny – a strange glare, before shaking her head, muttering something jumbled under her breath, wiping her hands on her apron, and spinning around to go back to the kitchen. Letting out a breath I didn't even know I was holding, I put a friendly arm around Sonny, not pulling her close this time but still giving her a kind smile, which just makes her blush again.

I don't know what's up with Sonny recently. She's been… shy, around me, if I'm telling the truth. I've noticed that alteration in her behaviour – her body language, the way she never starts a conversation, the way she keeps blushing and batting her eyelashes and acting all sweet and innocent like a five year-old who's meeting someone new, cowering behind her parent's leg. I don't know whether she's hiding something, or planning something, or if I should ask her about it or not because I don't want to embarrass her.

Maybe this behaviour is just… Allie? Not Sonny. Because Sonny doesn't have to _be_ Sonny for another two weeks. Maybe this shy, sweet girl is Allie Munroe, the real thing…

Once again, I don't wanna make a big deal out of it, just in case she hasn't noticed the change herself. Knowing Sonny, she'll either be all quiet and I won't get anything out of her, or she'll step cautiously around the situation and change the subject like nothing ever happened, even though the air is clearly still affected by the moment.

I'm trying not to let Sonny's change bother me though. If anything, though I miss normal Sonny, this Sonny is kind of… sweet.

Um.

Yeah.

Anyway…

Sonny and I are cuddled up on the couch, watching the latest So Random – the one I sang on. Sonny just stares at the screen in awe for those four minutes, which makes me laugh sneeringly.

"Calm down, Sonny." I snort as she applauds the Chad on the screen. To be honest, I find it kind of awkward watching myself on TV – watching So Random was Sonny's idea, not mine. No, seriously.

"That was just…" Sonny trails off into silence, rubbing the back of her head, unsure of how to finish her sentence.

"Awful?" I assist her with a smirk, "Scary? Weak? Stupid?"

Sonny rolls her eyes lightly, "No, you scaredy-cat." She says, flicking her bangs out of her face with her hand, "I was gonna say… special."

"In a bad way?"

"In a _brilliant _way." She says, resting her head on my chest. "Chad, stop being so down on yourself."

"Oh, like you?" I say sarcastically. Sonny sighs, obviously not finding my comment funny.

"Not like me." She murmurs, "I'm a freakin' coward."

"You're not." I mumble into her ear, kissing her head once again. Sonny's breathing seems to speed up rapidly when I do so, but I ignore the change. Maybe I shouldn't. But right now it just doesn't seem like a big deal.

"I am." Sonny argues feebly, like a young child quarrelling with her parents.

"Sonny, you're not a coward just because of all this." I tell her, "If anything, you're the strongest person I've met."

Sonny snorts. "Yeah, right."

I don't try to pursue that topic any further, because my mother enters the room, alerting Sonny and I to pull apart from each other again. Ugh.

"I, um, hate to break up the fun, kids…" She says, "But in case you haven't noticed, it's nearly _eleven._"

Eyes widening, Sonny and I look to each other in shock.

"Pfft. Time sure flies when you're havin' fun…" I say to her, rolling my eyes.

"Tell me 'bout it…" Sonny says, getting up off the couch. I follow her to the door, leaning casually against the doorframe as she opens the front door.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She says, "I'm gonna have to get your Christmas present – I was hoping I'd have more time but since you're leaving on Thursday, I suppose I'd best bring it around tomorrow."

"Yeah." I agree, "You're gonna have to help me pack or something!"

Sonny forces a laugh, smiling sadly. I pick up on her solemn mood straight away, and lift her chin up with my fingers.

"Hey, hey…" I say, giving her a kind smile, "No need to be sad, okay? I'll be in Wisconsin for the, like, a week. It'll fly by."

Sonny tries to smile again, but it comes off so forced. "It won't without you." She murmurs, looking down at her feet. Hating to see her upset, I embrace her in another hug, breathing slowly into her hair.

"I'll text you." I promise. "Everyday. And call you, whenever I get the chance. You can talk to my family – not my friends, though. That wouldn't be pretty for me."

Sonny giggles gently, "You realise how hilarious you are?"

I fake a smug look, "Well, I'm a natural comedian. It runs through my veins." Sonny laughs, so hard that she snorts multiple times. I know this isn't the appropriate thing to say about my best friend, but she still looks so beautiful. And I make sure to tell her, which makes her blush.

"Don't blush!" I laugh, "It's a hundred percent true."

Dropping the subject like a hot potato, Sonny tucks her bangs behind her ear carefully. "Are you sure I can't come with you? I could squeeze into your luggage!"

I chuckle, "You think you'd fit?"

"Have you seen me?" She smirks, "I'm, like, a lil' voodoo doll!"

Laughing hysterically, I grab her hand, "Only a hundred times more beautiful, and only slightly less crazy!"

Sonny flicks her hair back arrogantly, "Well, you know me." She winks, "I strive to be my craziest!"

"And succeed." I roll my eyes lightly, kissing her on the forehead, "Have a good night, beautiful."

"You too, handsome."

"Pfft. Shut up."

"Never."

And so, in a clatter of giggles and silliness, Sonny leaves the apartment, beaming once again.

And when Sonny is smiling, I smile too.

Sonny's POV

Our last day together before Chad has to leave to Wisconsin comes too fast.

I knock on the door to Chad's apartment hastily, clutching a small festively-decorated box in one hand. I just want to spend as much time with Chad before he goes. I don't know what I'm going to do without him.

Pfft. How sad my life must be if the only thing I can imagine doing is spending time with _him. _I need Melody Falls to come back… luckily, I'll be back to work at the end of next week, so if Chad isn't back from Wisconsin I'll at least have a distraction. I need to stop thinking about him in… _that_ way.

Mrs Cooper answers the door, smiling when she sees me – she may be protective of her son, but she seems to have grown pretty fond of me. Y'know, when she's not trying to drag Chad and I apart. Ha.

"Come on in, Sonny." She says, before turning her head back into the house, "Chad!" She shouts, "Sonny's here!"

I cover my mouth with my hand, hiding a laugh as I hear clattering in Chad's room. He's such a dork. But he's _my _dork. And, by the way, now I've admitted to myself my true feelings, addressing Chad as 'mine' isn't so weird to me. I just… I wish he really _was _mine.

Chad crashes into the living room, holding a box of a similar size and design as mine, with a goofy smile on his face. He looks so cute… I just wish I could tell him so…

"Hey." He grins, showing off his teeth. I feel my cheeks burn.

"Hi." I say. My voice sounds kinda shy, and Chad picks up on that.

"You okay?"

"I- I'm fine." I pause for a moment to think up a lie. Or at least a half-truth. "Just… I'm gonna miss you."

It's true. I will miss him. But that's not the reason I'm acting so shy. Either way, Chad coos out an 'aw', walking over to the couch, planting himself there, placing his little box on the coffee table and patting the space next to him. Obediently, I sit, still clutching the small box containing his present.

"So…" He says, "Do you want your present first?"

"Sure…" I say as he passes me the box. Forgetting about Chad's leaving and my little insecurities about that in the moment, I unceremoniously dump his present on the coffee table to inspect my present. I shake the box, as excited and eager as a little kid.

"Shall I open it now?" I say, "Or wait 'til Christmas Day?"

Chad shrugs, "Open it now." He says, "I wanna see your reaction to make sure you don't hate it."

I giggle, scanning the red ribbon around the box experimentally, trying to figure out a way to get inside the trap to receive the prize **(I love ribbons around presents, but I can never open them!)**. "I'm sure I won't hate it!" I say, patting him on the knee. He shrugs, pulling a face.

"I'll be the judge of that when I see your face." He says semi-sternly, "I'm not the best gift-giver – why buy someone something when you can just give 'em a hug?"

I snort, "Cheap-skate." I joke.

"Eh, you love me anyway." He smirks, "So, go ahead and open it! I have to leave the state _tomorrow_, remember?"

Giggling quietly, I fiddle with the ribbon, unable to break it. Chad watches, looking like waiting is causing him physical pain for about three minutes, before he snatches the present off of me.

"Gimme that…" He mumbles, inspecting the ribbon like an expert. "Mom!" He yells, after a few moments, "You got any scissors?"

"In the drawer, sweetie!" Mrs Cooper shouts back from the kitchen. Muttering quietly to himself, he fishes the scissors out of the drawer and snips the ribbon, releasing the box.

"I swear, the ribbon was my lovely mother's idea, not mine." He says, making us both burst out laughing, "Ribbon is seriously the creation of the devil!"

"'Course it is, Chaddy Chad Chad." I say, snatching my present back. Lifting the lid on the box, I throw all the red tissue paper inside to the side to be met with my present, at last.

A smaller box is sat in the original box, and it looks like it is sat on top of something. I take the smaller box out to see the back of a picture frame. Curious, I lift it out, and my smile widens the moment I see the front of the picture frame.

The words 'Best Friends' are spread across the top of the frame, and are made of marble, by the looks of it. Each letter is a different shade of purple – from a redder shade of purple to a more blue shade, and the rest of the frame is white. Chad's already put a picture of us in – it's a picture that his Mom took the other week, of us close together on the couch, pulling faces and laughing. My stomach twists inside my chest – "_Best Friends". _Of course. Because, though I have more-than friends' feelings for Chad, he certainly does not feel the same for me, I can assure you. Need proof? Just look at this picture frame.

_'Best Friends'. _That's all.

"So…?" Chad asks expectantly. I almost forgot he was there. "What do you think? Mom helped with it – I think it's kinda girly, but if you like it, that's all that matters…" I plaster a grin on my face, especially for Chad, hugging him softly.

"I love it." I tell him. It's not a lie. I love it, sure… but for all the wrong reasons. "I really do."

Chad grins, "That's great! Oh, but there's something else…" He points to the previously-neglected miniature box. It's red, velvet, which makes me smile. Jewellery?

I pick up the box – lucky, this one doesn't have a devil-ribbon – and lift the lid to reveal a small, silver, heart-shaped pendant, that is designed to look like it has a bow around it.

"Open it." Chad instructs excitedly. Raising an eyebrow, a fiddle with the pendant. It snaps open after a few seconds, and I squint to see it's a locket – a locket with the same picture in it as the picture frame. I smile, blinking back a single tear of joy.

"Sonny?"

I glance up at Chad. Sweet, innocent little Chad… I fling my arms around him once more, making him laugh.

"I thought that, well, if I'm not around, you can wear that… and I'll always be with you." Chad explains, "You like it?"

"It's… it's beautiful, Chad." I say.

"Want me to put it on you?" He asks. I nod wordlessly. Isn't this something a boyfriend usually does to his girlfriend? If only…

"Thank you." I say once Chad is done. He smiles.

"You're welcome." He says, before pulling away from the hug and diving towards his present. I snicker. The guy's a little kid, okay? "My turn!" He shrieks, staring at the box as if he's expecting it to do something.

"You know that box ain't gonna open itself?" I tell him with a smirk. He gasps in fake-shock.

"Really?" He feigns a surprised look, before it breaks into a smirk and he opens the box. I bite my lip, quietly hoping to myself he'll like my present as much as I loved his.

The moment he peers inside, his eyes widen and his smile grows. "No way…" He mumbles, putting his hand in the box. He takes out the presents I got him, grinning.

"I thought I'd get you a pick to replace that one I lost." I explain. Yeah… I lost his guitar pick. It's a long and complicated story involving a garden hose, a birdbath and a box of tissues. Really, don't ask. "And as for the book… I thought you'd need a songbook to store all those awesome songs you plan to write!" Chad had been telling me the other day that one of his life-long dreams was to make an album someday. But he didn't have a songbook, and he wanted one real bad. The one I got him is blue – the same color as the pick – and has 'Chad' engraved across it in yellow – again, same as the pick. Chad flicks through the empty pages, grinning, before dumping the present down on the coffee table next to the now-empty boxes and my picture frame and wrapping his arms around me.

"They're perfect." He gushes, "Thank you so much…"

"Merry Christmas, Chad." I say. He takes in a deep breath.

"Merry Christmas, beautiful."

Chad's POV

Ten o'clock comes to quick. Mom has to practically drag Sonny to the door, me following, eager to say a goodbye to my best friend once more before I have to leave. I'm going to miss her. You know, a lot. I'm trying to stay strong for her though, I really am.

"I'm gonna miss you." She says to me shyly, embracing me in a hug.

"I'll miss you too." I tell her, pulling away from the hug gently, trying to smile, "But remember that I'll text you everyday, and call you whenever I can – and you'll have me with you in your locket!"

Sonny looks down at the locket around her neck, wrapping her fingers around it, holding it tight. She smiles softly at me.

"Take care of yourself, yeah?" She says. I nod, and she giggles. "Good. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you…"

"Nothing'll happen to me." I say, "I promise."

"I love you." She says.

"Love you too." I reply.

With a relieved look on her face, Sonny embraces me in one last hug, squeezing me a little tighter, before pulling away, smiling and waving, and leaving the apartment, with the picture frame tucked under her arm, still fiddling with the heart pendant.

_I love you…_

Her words ring in my ear, and I can't help but smile as I close the door behind her.

* * *

><p><em>*20 hours later...*<em>

"Yo, Chad!"

The moment I step out of Mom's car, outside the hotel we're staying at, I am bro-punched, left, right, and centre, by my idiot friends, who texted me to say they were waited outside the hotel. I smirk. It's not exactly the same as a hug from Sonny, but it's familiar. It's home.

"Jacob. Danny. Terence. Quit being idiots."

"No way, man!" Terence, the tallest one, laughs. Terence has short, spiked, ink-black hair, which he runs a hand through. Since it's gelled, the hair just jumps back up after Terence moves his hand away.

"Yeah, we've missed you too much." Danny says, flicking his dark brown bangs out of his face, smirking. Danny's just about taller than me, and if anyone in this group of dorks can be considered the 'cool' one, it's him. He actually used to hang out with the populars until high school, and then he just decided they were all jerks and joined us. "It's been way too long."

"You can't tell us that you haven't missed us back, dude." Jake says. Jacob Lawrence… he's the worse of them all. He has mocha-colored skin and dark hair – the same shade as Terence – only he's a total maniac. He was the one who always got us into crazy situations, back in 'the days'. I laugh at my mental friends, fist-pounding each of them.

"Okay, okay." I say, raising my hands in surrender, "I have missed you _dorks _a little."

My friends erupt with laughter, and I just have to laugh with them. I've missed my stupid, crazy, messed-up friends. They're total morons, but hey – their friends.

Mom passes me her credit card to pay for the hotel room while she goes to park the car, and my friends follow me into the hotel like dogs following a pack leader. We enter the lobby – it's not all that fancy. Just a few sofas, a table, and a counter right at the back, where a redhead girl is sat, reading a magazine. I grin, recognising the girl right away. Tina. She used to be in my French class, and was one of the 'popular' girls who hardly knew of my existence until she heard that I was going to Hollywood, and then she, like her friends, crowded me like crazed fan-girls.

Well, this should be fun.

"Hey!" I shout to her, ambling up, with my friends following. Tina looks up from her magazine and her eyes widen when she sees me.

"Oh… my… gosh." She says, "_Chad Dylan Cooper is here_! What is _Chad Dylan Cooper _doing _here?_"

I stifle a laugh. Being famous does have its weird moments… I could never get used to girls being _excited_ to see me. It's weird. "Don'tcha remember me, Tina?" I ask, "I _did_ know you before I was famous."

Tina blinks a couple of times, frozen. "Remind me...?"

What did I say? No one knew I even _existed_ until I got famous. How sweet, huh?

"Chad. From French class. I left four months ago to star on So Random. Ring any bells?"

"Oh, yeah!" Tina smiles, trying to play it cool. She flicks her hair behind her ear, grinning seductively. "Wassup Chad? I've missed you so much…"

"Sure…"

"So, Chad…" She smiles, "You got some big Hollywood girlfriend? Cos if not, I'm still free. Well, I'm not, but I can dump him for you..."

Pulling a face, I sigh. "Uh… sorry, Tina. I'd really love to date you…" _Not. _Oh, gosh, how to let her down gently… think, Chad, think… "But I… can't. Um, yeah. Because… I have… a girlfriend."

I can almost feel my friends freeze up beside me, feel their gazes fix onto me like homing missiles. Ugh. I almost forgot they were here. This is not good… now I'm gonna have to tell them who this girlfriend is, because they'll interrogate me about it and there's no way they're gonna let me leave it alone until they hear what they wanna hear.

Great.

No, it's okay. I'll figure that out later…

"Oh. Okay." Tina says, suddenly losing interest. "Your room is number 14. Down the hallway, that way." Pointing to her left, eyes back down on the magazine, she gives me the room key and I pay with Mom's card, and, laughing, me and my pals make our way down the hall.

This is bad. Very bad.

So my friends think I have a girlfriend. This is not gonna go well. I could always hope and pray that they've changed and they're not total nosy dorks anymore, but knowing the boys, that's not possible.

We walk into the room Mom and I are gonna be staying in for the night. We'll be moving into Gran's house tomorrow – Mom and I will get the spare beds down from the attic and sleep in the back room – but we thought it would be easier if we slept over here tonight and got it done in the morning rather than spending the whole evening setting it all up. Mom and I have been travelling for hours – we're tired, we stink, and a fancy hotel bed looks so much more attractive right now than a stupid put-up on.

The hotel room is pretty nice. As you walk in, there is a wardrobe to the left, and to the right, there is a door to the bathroom. Oh, joyous shower…

It has two beds – one double, one single. A wide vanity-mirror is at the foot of the beds, against the wall. Some fancy paining sits above the double bed, and a welcome pack sits on a bedside table in between the two beds, welcoming us to the hotel, telling us of breakfast times, what to do if there were to be a fire; you know, all the usual stuff.

I place mine and Mom's suitcases on the double bed, opening mine and rooting through it. Jacob, Danny and Terence huddle up by the closet, whispering none-too-quietly. About me, obviously. Rolling my eyes, I fish my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my bag – Mom and I took turns driving, and while Mom was driving I tended to doze off, and I can still taste the disgusting sleep-breath – and make my way into the bathroom. It's pretty standard – toilet, sink, bath and shower. I brush for a little while, before hearing a clattering by the door. I turn to see those dork-heads, stood at the door, gazing at me with matched looks of part curiosity mixed with evilness. I let out a deep sigh.

"What do you want?" I ask them after spitting in the sink. Jacob steps forward, smiling like one of those weird cartoons. I bite my lip, knowing what's coming.

"Tell us about your girlfriend." Jake says, his smile becoming slightly pleading.

"Uh… no."

The boys groan. "C'mooonn!" Terence pleas, "We're your buds!"

"Which is exactly why I can't tell you."

Before the boys can protest any further, a ringing sound goes off in the room next door. I tighten up as I recognise the ring as that song, _Ours_.

_Sonny's ring. _

Noticing me tensing up, the boys' smiles widen, like the Cheshire Cat. Afterwards, we just have a mad scramble, trying to get to the phone first. Unfortunately, Terence, being at the door 'n' all, gets to the phone before me. He picks it up, looking at the screen, grinning sneakily.

"_Sonny_?" He reads, "Sonny _Munroe_?"

"Don't you dare…" I say sternly when I realise his intentions.

Too late.

"_Hellooooo_, beau-tiful!" He coos, causing the other two to laugh hysterically. I snatch the phone off of him.

"Hey, Sonny!"

"Chad?" Sonny's sweet voice comes through the other end, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." I say, throwing a pillow at Terence while the three of them continue to snigger.

"Oh…" Sonny says, not sounding all that convinced. "I was just calling to check you had a good journey…"

"Yeah, it was okay." I shrug, shoving Danny away as he tries to listen in on the conversation. "A little… long, but we're there now."

"Oh, good!" She says, suddenly perking up, "I was worried about you…"

Danny smirks. "_Oh, Chad_!" He says, putting on a high-pitched voice, "I was _so _worried about you…"

"Shut up." I hiss, shaking my head, "Sorry, Sonny, I really have to go."

"Oh… okay." Sonny says slowly. "I love you."

"Yeah, you too."

I hang up, before throwing a pillow at each of my friends. **(I have no idea where he got all those pillows from o_O) **Now I remember why I used to turn my phone _off_ around these morons.

Oh well.

"Dude, you're dating Sonny Munroe?" Jacob asks, wiggling his eyebrows, "How the heck did you do it – did you win a 'Date A Totally Hot Celebrity' contest?"

"No."

"Did you tell her that you were a British supermodel?"

"No."

"Was she desperate and did you-"

"_No!_" I scream, "Dan, do not even _think of _continuing that sentence! She's not even my girlfriend!"

"Yeah, you're just saying that." Dan says, smiling proudly, folding his arms.

"I swear to it!" I say, "She's just… my friend."

"Sure…" Jake laughs, winking, "She said she loved you and you said that you love her back!"

"And?"

"Dude, she said she was _worried _about you!"

"_And?_"

Jacob puts a friendly hand on my shoulder, "Dude, you may think you're just friends with this girl, but she obviously has a different impression!"

I blink, "You think?"

"Positive." He nods.

I don't know whether I believe him or not. I mean… surely, Sonny doesn't have _those_ feelings for me? Sonny is so open to me usually… she would've told me if this was the case… surely…?

"It doesn't matter anyway, dude…" Jacob continues, "You have to tell us everything! What's it like in Hollywood?"

I smile, thankful for a distraction from Sonny. "It's great." I say, "So much fun!"

The questions flood in – at one time, Danny asks if I've met any jerks.

"Yes." I say, "The Melody Falls cast… some are okay, like Sonny…" I ignore them as they elbow each other, "But some are just horrible. Oh, and you will not believe who I saw there the other week!"

I tell them about the encounter with the Pig-heads, and when I'm asked about if 'Chad's Support System Version 2.0' was better than them, I know that I've got my protective, down-right bonkers friends back.

It's good to be home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Apologies for the lack of Channy in the second half, but I think the bromance and the flood of Channy in the first half made up for it, right?**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this! If you did, make sure to review!**

**Ooh, and if you're an Austin & Ally fan and you haven't yet, please go read my A&A one-shot 'Pancakes & Pickles'! I very much enjoyed writing it and hope you guys enjoy reading it!**

**Make sure to review! The more reviews, the faster I'll update!**

**~Amy x**


	38. The Truth Comes Out!

**A/N: Dudes, guess what? In the last 7 chapters, QTO has got 113 reviews! That's an average of about 16 a chapter! Thank you so much everyone - That's amazing!**

**I just really want to thank you guys for all your reviews, favourites, author alerts, and just general reading of my story! The other day I realised that I really do take you guys for granted and I am so thankful to you for being such amazing readers! I love you all! *hugs you all to death* ;)**

**mi-yamo Denise - Heyy! Thank you so much for your review! It made me smile when I woke up this morning :)**

**EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - Thank you so much! I couldn't sleep last night, and I checked the time on my phone and your second review came through and just made me grin like an idiot :D I know, Chad is so oblivious ;D**

**Moomoomoo. im. a. kangaroo - Haha, Tina so deserved what she got, am I right? ;D**

**Julie - I love you, you are so sweet! Keep bringin' those lovely reviews that make me smile! I'm so glad you like my story :)**

**BeingHannah923 - CHANNY ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL 'TIS A FACT! :P**

**Okay, here it comes! I have a feelin' y'all are just gonna love this chapter ;) I don't own Sonny with A Chance, btw. Or Tween Weekly magazine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 37 - The Truth Comes Out<strong>

Sonny's POV

_It's a dream. A beautiful, magical, perfect dream._

_The gorgeous Hollywood sunset._

_A dream._

_The sound of the waves crashing by my feet._

_A dream._

_Chad's hand wrapped around mine, clinging onto it tightly._

_Definitely a dream._

_And then he whispers quietly into my ear, as we both smile and giggle and dance around on the beach, barefooted, with the waves prancing around with us. He whispers;_

_"I love you, my beautiful girlfriend."_

_**Girlfriend**._

_The word hops off of his tongue – so easily, so gently, so beautifully._

_**Girlfriend**._

_It's, of course, a dream._

_But that's all it is. A dream. And that's all it'll ever be._

…

I never thought that I could be so pathetic. I mean, I knew that I was weak; I knew that I needed Chad. I just didn't realise how much I really, _really_ need him.

Nine days without him pass. I lie in bed, watching the ceiling, making shapes in the random pattern above my head. It's a Saturday – my last Saturday on hiatus – and I'm in bed. At noon.

Again.

I've had the same routine for the last week or so. Which is, quite simply – sleep, breakfast, lie there while texting Chad, lunch, text Chad, dinner, call Chad, lie in bed, read texts with Chad, and then back to sleep…

That's it.

I know. It's pretty pathetic, and probably the most boring week of my life. The only moments that make it worthwhile are the moments I get to speak with Chad.

Chad, as promised, texts me every night. We talk about anything and everything, and on those glorious moments when he actually calls me, I listen to his sweet voice speak about what he's been doing, his family, his friends (and how they think that we're dating… _I freakin' wish…_) and anything else I can get out of him. On the Wednesday, he told me he'd visited his dad, which made me feel almost sick to listen to. My dad's a jerk, but sometimes I just wish that I still at least had contact with him, like Chad does with his father.

But no. Because my father replaced me the moment he found the chances, so it's obvious to see that he doesn't even want me as a daughter. Was I that bad? Because my problems all started when he left, so it couldn't have been those that sent him running. What was it that put my dad off? What led him to replace me?

Tell me if you figure it out, cos I'll never know.

I glance over at my alarm clock beside me – it reads 12:26pm.

Great. I've slept another morning away.

Using my no-Chad hiatus-brain logic, I decide that it's not worth getting up for the second half of the day since the first half is actually completely gone, and that I'd be best to get some more sleep ready to call with Chad later, since I only got to sleep at four in the morning anyway.

My mother obviously has other ideas. She knocks carefully on my door, not bothering to wait for an answer as she pokes her head around the door. She groans when she sees me just lying, staring at the ceiling…

Assuming the position.

Again.

"Sonny, are you just going to lie there all day?" She asks me. I nod slowly.

"All weekend, if I can help it." I mumble sleepily. My mother mutters something under her breath.

"You should go out with a friend." She says. It takes me a while to realise what she means. Ha, I'd _go out with _a certain 'friend' if I could, believe me…

"Chad's in Wisconsin." I say.

"I mean someone who's _not _Chad." Mom replies, "C'mon, Sonny, you have other friends."

Not really.

"What about one of your cast mates?" She asks after a few moments of silence. I say nothing. "Marta?"

"No." I strop, "She's horrid."

"Portlyn?"

I shake my head, folding my arms.

"Chastity?"

"Chastity's…" I pause, thinking it through, "not bad, I suppose…"

Mom's face lights up. "Brilliant!" She grins, clapping a little. She's overreacting. It's not like I'm taking my first steps. Although, considering the furthest I've walked in the last nine days is downstairs to get food, I've probably forgotten how to really walk, so I may be constricted back to crawling into the studio on Monday. Huh, well that'll be interesting.

Mom instructs me to call Chastity immediately, and, reluctant, I call her number. I've been hidden in my dark-curtained room for the last few days… Chastity's optimistic ways are gonna be enough sunshine and rainbows for me.

I will _talk_ to her. I am _not_ leaving this room.

The dial rings for a little, and I'm about to hang up and tell my Mom she's not there when the ringing stops and Chastity's ever-too-bright voice coos, "Hellooo?"

I wince. I'm not used to hearing voices besides Mom's and Chad's. Oh, and Johnny's, when he occasionally speaks to me. Which, considering I've been eating at different times to Mom and Johnny so I hardly see him, is not very often. Hey, don't get me wrong, I don't hate Johnny…

I just want my dad.

But he's never coming back, so I just have to hold my head high like Chad taught me and deal with the fact that Johnny is my step-dad (no matter how much his age suggests that he'd be better as an older brother).

Anyway. Back to Chastity.

"Hey, Chas." I say. I didn't really notice how hoarse my voice sounded until now… I clear my throat, slightly embarrassed.

Chastity makes a small gasping sound, before she cracks. "_Sonnyyyyyy_!" She squeals, "Oh my days, it's been so freakin' _long_! What's goin' on, huh? You haven't called me! _Why_ haven't you called me? _Ooh_, and how was your Christmas? Mine was awesome… how can Christmas _not_ be awesome? I mean, it's _Christmas_! And anyways-"

"Wanna let me talk for once, Chas?" I ask, cutting her off, smirking a little. It feels good to actually use _emotions_ around someone who isn't Chad for the first time in what feels like a lifetime. To be honest, I've missed Chastity – she's a total nutcase and completely mental, but she's sweet. She's so much fun to talk to, and I'd completely forgotten that. So hung up on my problems and the Chad dilemma and everything… I just forgot it all. It's funny how one person can change the way you think, you feel, all in an instant.

Chas giggles. "Soo… Sonny, tell meeee… where have you been for the last two weeks? I haven't heard from you, or seen you on the news or TV or anything!"

"I've been… home." I say.

"Oh." Chastity says, picking up on my shy, quiet, leave-it-alone tone. "So how's Chad? You guys been hanging out?"

"We did for the first week…" I say, "But, he went to Wisconsin last Thursday."

Chastity gasps. I imagine her jaw dropping open, like it usually does when she's shocked, "Sonny!" She wails, "That's so sad! Do you miss him?"

"Only for the hiatus, Chas." I say, rolling my eyes. Seems she thought Chad was gone, forever. "But… yeah, I do." I admit to her question.

"Hmm…" Chastity mumbles knowingly, before she perks up again, "Well, what did you call for?"

I turn my head to see my mother still stood by the door. I cringe, knowing I won't get away with _not_ asking Chas to hang out. And I probably need it anyway. A little socialising is just what I need – Chad won't be pleased if he finds out I wasted my whole week just moping over him.

"I just wanted to know… do you want to hang out later? We could go to the mall – you could pick me up in a couple of hours or something…"

I can almost hear Chas smile.

"Sure." She says. "I'll pick you up at two."

* * *

><p>Right on time, Chastity parks up on the driveway in her little yellow convertible. I chuckle under my breath when I see her waving at me, grinning that huge grin. That girl just loves spreading her natural sunshine, doesn't she?<p>

I hop into her car, feeling refreshed. I really worked hard on myself today after hanging up from catching up with Chastity (I'd forgotten how great of a friendly character she really was) – I got a real shower, I had a good lunch, got changed into some clothes that don't make me look like a transvestite/slut… and even limited down on the make-up. Only a little foundation, mascara, and lip gloss. I feel a little nervous, but I'll be with Chastity. She isn't judgemental, like everyone else in the whole freakin' world, and unlike Chad, she won't be watching me every second with careful eyes to fix me just in case I break under the weight of my personal pressures.

"You're lookin' different today." Chastity says, raising an eyebrow. My heart sinks.

"In a good way?" I ask. Chastity shrugs.

"Yeah, you look good. A little tired, maybe, but good." She smiles friendlily, before leaving the topic alone completely, which is relieving. I don't want her to start exploring what is different about me… if she finds out about my make-up insecurities, well… I'll have no-one to run to and just act _normal _around. Sure, I'll have Chad, but I have three problems with running to him. One – he knows about my insecurities. I can't necessarily be calm and collected around him. Two – I am almost _shy_ to go to Chad because I feel like I disappoint him with every mistake, because he's so perfect and happy and healthy and I'm so _not_.

And number three?

Number three is that gapingly-large crush I have on him.

We hang around at the mall for a few hours; prancing into each and every shop like those annoyingly happy girls on the tampon commercials, picking outfits for each other and just acting like friends.

It's been a long time since I've had a _girl friend. _Chad is brilliant, but he can't come into the changing room with me and give me clothing advice and moan "Do we really look _that _fat?" at the clothing assistant when she brings us too large a size, and then dissolve into giggles about it afterwards. Having a friend like Chastity – someone I can just have fun around – it's just takes all the weight off my shoulders, gets me thinking about something other than the press and my insecurities and my show and _Chad. _I need a break from all of these things, and innocent, naïve, unknowing little Chastity is exactly that break.

Is it sick? Is it selfish? Am I _using_ Chastity? Maybe. But I know that, until I get my head completely straight, I need someone like Chas in my life, and girls like that are hard to come by.

We flounce into a café at about four, needing a break from shopping. Chastity also was in need of a chocolate chip cookie. The moment she saw this café's cookies, in little neat rows, all freshly made, she pressed her face against the glass, eyes wide, in awe. She buys us each a cookie and a coffee, despite my protesting when she offers to pay for my stuff too, and we sit down at a two-seated table, watching the world go by outside the window we're sat by. Taking a sip out of her coffee, Chastity looks up at me, smiling kindly. I smile back, effortlessly.

"Sooo…" She sings cheerfully, picking a chocolate chip off of the top of her cookie. "What's been goin' on with Chad? You guys still friends?"

I sigh. Trust Chastity to bring up Chad. I remember back when she used to accuse me of having feelings for Chad.

Well. Look at how that turned out.

"Yeah. _Friends_." I say in monotone, sipping out of my coffee, gazing out the window. Chastity frowns.

"What's wrong?" She asks, "What happened?"

I bite my lip, staring down at my cup on the table, a straight expression on my face.

"Remember you said that you thought I had feelings for Chad?"

Chastity nods, "And he had the same for you."

I scoff. "Well, you're half right."

She blinks slowly, "What… what do you mean?" She asks, tilting her head to the side a little. I inhale a lot of air, and then exhale, as if it's an effortful task.

"You win. I like Chad, okay?"

Chastity's eyes light up. "_Like-_like him?"

I roll my eyes, trying not to smile at Chas's overreaction, "Like-like him." I nod.

Chas squeals, so loud that people turn to stare. Some people keep watching us – obviously realising who we are. A few people come over for autographs after that, but even though we don't talk more about Chad, I can tell by the smile on Chastity's face that she's proud of herself for figuring it out. Well, she sure figured it out before me. Yay for her.

When we leave the café, Chastity decides to pursue the whole Chad situation. Linking her arm around mine as we walk into Forever 21, she elbows me.

"So," She says, grinning. I don't know whether she's trying to bug me about this or not, but if she is, she's doing a damn good job at it, "You like Chad, eh?"

"Yup." I say, refraining from rolling my eyes this time. "You can say 'I told you so' anytime you want, you know?"

Chastity shrugs, "Na. Rubbing something in someone's face isn't all that cool."

I smile. Chastity really is just so darn sweet. I wish I could be that… goody-goody. Like Chastity. Like _Chad_. They know who they are, and are proud of it. I can only wish I was as brilliant as them.

"So, have you talked to Chad about it?"

I shake my head, "I, uh, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

I hang my head, "He doesn't like me in that way."

"Well…" Chastity shrugs, "You never know until you try."

"But he won't." I say miserably, "I know it."

"I disagree." She sings. Okay, she's sweet and all, but getting annoying. "Just girl up and ask him what the heck is going on!"

"Chastity, just leave it, okay? It's my relationship, don't Chas It Up." **(The return of Chas-ing It Up! :OOO) **

Chastity giggles, rolling her eyes, "Fine. But when you see Chad next… I want you to talk to him."

"Sure." I lie. Okay, so it's not a lie. I _will_ talk to him.

Just not about _that_.

We separate after a little while. It's Chas's brother's birthday soon, so she went searching for a present. I offered to come with, but she said it was fine and that she wouldn't focus if she was with me, so that's why I'm now wandering around the mall on my own. I'm wearing shades, so luckily only a small handful of people recognise me.

Including this one guy…

"Ow! Watch it!"

Usually I would yell at that guy, but the good-ish mood Chastity has put me in leads me to just apologise. I look up at the guy (he's about half a foot taller than me) and my jaw drops when I see who it is.

"James?" I stammer. The boy looks down at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I know you?" He asks me. I take off my sunglasses and he smirks immediately. I look behind him – his little obedient friends are following him again. I put a hand on my hip, trying to be cool and brave. James's smirk is extremely condescending and arrogant, and it makes me uncomfortable. I've had many face-offs with this guy over Chad, and let's just say he isn't my favourite person in the world.

"Sonny." He states my name as if it pains him.

"What are you doing here, you jerk?" I ask him, "Didn't you finish the Hoosier Girl episode and go back to Wisconsin? Seriously, I'm sick of you poisoning our hallways with that ego of yours."

James snorts, "I've been invited to stay for a couple more episodes cos my episode was so popular. And anyway, as for the ego thing, you can talk, you diva." He says.

"I'm not a diva." I reply sternly. He chuckles.

"Whatever you say, _gorgeous_."

"_Don't_ flirt with me." I say, disgusted as he touches my arm. I shove him off like he's infected, and he smirks, obviously enjoying our little confrontation.

"Or what?" I'd rather not repeat the word he called me. Because of Chad's influences, I don't use those words unless they're needed, and this guy isn't worth wasting them on.

"Just don't." I say, before turning on my heels and striding away. But I don't get too far before he speaks again.

"You're looking kinda pale today, Munroe."

I bite my lip, freezing in the spot.

"Let's just say I'm not feeling too good." I say to James. I hear him chuckling behind me. He comes closer and places a hand on my shoulder, and I shove it off irritably.

"Huh." He smirks, "I thought you looked like less of a slut."

"Well, that's nice of you." I say, rolling my eyes.

"Forgot your precious make-up today?"

I clench my fists, "Mind your own business, Conroy."

"Why should I?"

"Because I could easily punch your face in if you didn't." I say, smirking myself. James laughs arrogantly.

"You? Take me down? I doubt it."

I sneer. I remember a few things Chad told me about James that will humiliate him. I turn around, a wide grin on my face. "Well, _I _hardly doubt that you could hurt me, seeing as, y'know, you the glasses-braces guy when you first showed up in Wisconsin."

The grin wipes off of James's face. "How do you know that?"

I shrug, spinning around, flicking my hair behind my ear, "I have my ways."

"Oh, yeah." James says, suddenly sounding confident again, "_Chad._"

I stop in my tracks. I hear him walk closer to me again, slower this time, anticipating every single step. James brings his face close to my ear, but I'm too in shock to shove him away this time.

"I know how you feel about him." He whispers, "I don't understand it though… why would a babe like _you_ like a pathetic little mess like _him_?"

I bite my tongue, refraining from saying or _doing_ something I might regret.

"Chad is _not _pathetic." I say in a scarily small, timid voice. "Leave him _alone_. What's he ever done to you?"

Ignoring my comment, James circles me, before pausing in front of me. I feel his dark eyes on me and look up at him, scowling. The boy wears a conceited grin. I swallow, but try not to make it obvious.

"Chad's a loser." James tries to convince me, chuckling a little. I clench my teeth together.

"_Shut up._" I demand of him. I hate how he seems to find mine and Chad's pain hilarious.

"And what are you gonna do?" He asks. I bite my lip, thinking. Good question, actually… on the one hand, I can walk away and be the better person. On the other hand, I can show this guy that no-one messes with Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper. But then, would Chad be happy if he found that out? Or maybe he'd be proud of me for being so heroic and brave? Eh, I don't even know what Chad wants anymore. I don't even know what I, myself, want.

"Ha." James awakes me from my thoughts, "Nothin'. That's what I thought. Honestly, you're just as pathetic as Chad…"

Okay. That strikes a nerve. I twitch a little, which makes James and his friends (who I'd pretty much forgotten about) laugh.

"Oh, yeah, now I'm scared." James says boredly, before turning and striding off, his friends on his tail. I clench my fists, grit my teeth, watching him saunter away confidently. I just wanna wipe that smile of his know-it-all face… **(Heheh… inspired by Stop and Erase by Selena Gomez :P)**

"Hey, Sonny!" Chastity's sweet voice calls behind me, but I barely acknowledge her. Taking a deep breath, in a deep, crazed fit of anger, I run up to James, jump on his back, and pull his hair as he yells out.

_"What the hell?_ Get this psychopath off of me!"

It goes on like that – him screaming like a little girl while I use him as a bucking horse – for about thirty seconds before security comes and asks me and Chastity to leave.

Oh, but not before the paparazzi get it all on video, though.

And I suppose I should've seen it coming.

But when Sunday comes.

And when Chastity calls me and tells me to check Tween Weekly.

I suppose I should've expected that I'd be the top story.

I just didn't think it would be for a completely different reason that the one I expected.

Chad's POV

"Dude, this sucks!"

"We're gonna miss you, man!"

"At least stay for another week!"

I laugh, raising my hands, grinning. "Guys, no can do." I say regretfully, "I have to get back to California…"

"For Sonny?" Danny smirks.

"For _So Random._" I correct him. "Mr Condor – my _boss _– called last night and told me that he's starting the new season two weeks earlier, because apparently it'll be _'good for the ratings'._" I roll my eyes, impersonating my boss's final tone. I mean, I'm grateful to Condor – he ultimately gave me the job at So Random, after all, but he is scary.

"Oh…" The boys sigh collectively, before embracing me in a huge bro-hug. Which they will probably deny later, but right now it's just sweet.

"Aw, yeah, now I'm feelin' the love!" I say, before telling each of them 'goodbye' and getting into my Mom's car, so we can get back to California. To So Random.

To _Sonny._

About an hour into our journey, my phone rings with Sonny's ring-tone. I blink, staring at the phone in my hand, because I told Sonny a couple of hours ago that we were on our way home and that I would call her when I got home. So what's she doing calling me?

I answer the phone, shooting my tired Mom an apologetic look.

"Sonny?"

"Chad." Sonny's voice sounds completely sombre. In fact, she sounds like she's been crying. My stomach churns.

"_Sonny_?" I repeat, slightly more desperate this time. She sighs.

"I'm sorry, Chad." She mumbles, "I've just been thinking…"

"About what?" I ask. Sonny whimpers.

"Did you see Tween Weekly?" She asks. I shake my head, before realising she can't see me.

"No." I say quietly.

She sighs again. "_'The Truth Comes Out'._" She reads, "_'Sonny Munroe always acts like the perfect girl, but is this really the case? We received pictures that suggest otherwise…_'"

I intake some air suddenly, biting my lip. "Oh, Sonny…"

Sonny exhales disappointedly. "They have pictures of me without make-up." She explains. "And I know you're probably rolling your eyes at me for being so pathetic right now, but there's more to the story…" She takes another deep breath, "_'Sonny Munroe, the star of number one tween show _Melody Falls_, is renowned not only for her stunning acting, but for her shocking fashion statements. The sixteen year-old girl is infamous for her stylish clothing and impressive collection of make-up. However, recently, we have been interested in hearing that maybe, there is something behind this persona…_

_"A source from the set of Melody Falls itself, tells us that 'Sonny has always been an… interesting character since the moment she stepped on the set of The Falls. I mean, she was like a snappy, cruel version of Barbie.'"_ Sonny groans a little, and I bite my lip. _"'But now… I dunno. She's kinda different. Like… weird different. I dunno how to explain it – you'd have to see yourself.' So, taking our source's advice, we went on a search to find this 'new' Sonny Munroe, and you'll never believe what we found! Yes, Sonny Munroe, in the mall, with fellow Falls girl Chastity Ann DeWitt. However, there was something very distinct about the girl._

"_We soon recognised that the so-called 'plastic' girl was going without her make-up! Her clothing choice was much less risky as well – she almost looked like a completely different person! _

"_And as if this odd revelation wasn't shocking enough, you'll never guess what your favourite diva was caught doing next! We found the girl arguing with a certain James Conroy – a new actor on the scene who guest-starred on _Hoosier Girl_ last week – and soon she started attacking him! Riding him luck he was a bucking bronco, the girl was happy to get an unannounced piggyback from the boy before she was pulled away and kicked out of the mall!_

"_This sure was an odd day for Sonny Munroe, but this leads us to one question – what exactly is going on with our self-proclaimed perfect star? Well, we asked her cast members for a little insight, and our helpful source from before told us this – 'She's hiding something, it's obvious!' Fellow Falls girl Marta Balatico explained, 'She's been acting all weird all of a sudden – obviously she's got some big secret!'_

"_So there we go folks! Is this all just a fluke? Or is Sonny Munroe really hiding something? Don't you worry your pretty little heads, because we'll keep you up to date with it all! Until next time!"_

She then stops talking. Her breathing is loud, deep, like she's lost in thought. I just sit in silence, unable to think of something to say, to do, to comfort her.

"Fun, huh?" Sonny's voice speaking kinda shocks me at first. "I mean, the press think I'm up to something. This is just gonna be _peachy_! I don't know what I'm supposed to do…"

"Do you want me to help?" I ask. She sighs.

"I just want you here." She says. Her voice sounds heartbreakingly weak. I just wish I could be there with her, to hug her tight and tell her that everything is gonna be okay.

"I'm on my way home." I tell her, "I promise I'll be in tomorrow, and we can talk this through, okay?"

Sonny sniffles a little. "I'd like that." She says. "Oh, and Chad!"

"Yeah?" I blink at the sudden urgency in her voice. She takes a deep breath, before she pauses for a second, and then exhales sadly.

"Never mind." She says, "I'll see you."

And before I can question her on what she was going to say, I hear the dial tone buzzing. I heave a sigh.

She hung up.

Sonny's POV

Monday finally arrives and I am so grateful. First off, Melody Falls is starting back today, and second, Chad was on his way home last night, which means that he will most likely come in for So Random. They're starting back earlier than first anticipated - the new season has been moved forward and two more episodes have been added to the end of it, because Condor was pleased with the increase in the show's ratings and was eager to add in more episodes (which ultimately led to more money).

If you ask me, that is all down to Chad.

Their ratings have improved so much since Chad arrived! If you ask me, he is simply the best thing that ever happened to So Random - maybe even to the whole of Condor Studios.

And you know what I heard? I heard Marta and Portlyn talking at the end of last season of The Falls, worrying that So Random was finally gonna beat Melody Falls in the Tween Choice Awards.

To be honest? I couldn't be happier at that news.

I'm so proud of Chad. He sure has a big bright future ahead of him. And I'm ready to support him, every step of the way.

Suddenly, that pride is replaced with a remorseful feeling as I remember what is really going on between us.  
>I still haven't talked to Chad about... how I feel. I mean, when I called him last night, I was so focused on how bad I looked in the pictures, without my make-up, that I never had a chance to, well, in Chastity's words, 'girl up and ask him what the heck is going on'. I'm just too much of a coward to try.<p>

When Chastity walks into the set, beaming as usual, she prances up to me and I try to smile back at her, but it's not a convincing attempt.

"Sooo," she says, playing with a strand of her hair. "Chad. You. Dating yet or not?" I sigh. Obviously she wasn't gonna beat around the bush - she just comes right out with it. Which makes my answer all the more difficult.

"Not." I admit regretfully. Chastity sighs in disappointment, deflating slightly like a balloon.

"Have you talked to him since Saturday?"

"Yeah, last night, but I-"

"-Didn't ask him out." She finishes my sentence, shaking her head. "Okay, time to take matters into my own hands."

I roll my eyes, "Goody. I'm gonna be a victim of Chas-ing It Up. Like I wasn't already." Chas slaps me half-heartedly on the arm, before leaning in closely to whisper.

"Next time you see Chad, you need to look that boy in the eyes, stand up straight, take a deep breath, and tell him... 'Chad, I am completely and totally in love with you. I have been for so long and I want to know where I stand. I need you. I've been waiting far too long for this. I love you, and I hope that you love me too, because I need to be with you.'"

Chastity finishes her speech and I take a deep breath to practice saying it for myself, but one small voice pulls everything to a standstill.

_"What?"_

I spin around on my heels to stare straight into the lost, blue eyes of Chad Dylan Cooper. His eyes shift from me to Chastity to me again. I try to stand straight, like Chastity advised, but seeing that lost look in his eyes makes me weak. Chastity tiptoes up to me and whispers shyly in my ear;

"Okay. Maybe you won't need to say all that now... Seems he heard it for himself."

I roll my eyes at her, before turning back to Chad. Sweet, sweet Chad. I hate myself for causing him so much confusion. His lower lip quivers as if he's trying to say something for a few long moments, before he can finally speak.

"Sonny?" He says, innocence shining through. His voice cracks and my heart breaks a little. "I-it's true?

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><p><strong>AN: DUN DUN DUUHHHHH! **

**What do you guys think? It's gonna get exciting now! What will Chad's reaction be, huh? What do you think?**

**Heheh, on a completely different note, according to KellyTheLovatic and my brother, you guys should be called 'Ducklings'! You know, like 'Lovatics'? Heheh, blame Kelly :P Sooo... yeah. Review, my ducklings! Cos then I'll update quicker...**

**Haha :P**

**~Amy x**


	39. Heartbroken

**A/N: ...Holy Banana Pie. That chapter got 27 REVIEWS! I knew you guys would love that chapter but I didn't expect it to get quite a reaction! And I hope y'all will love this chapter even more, because we're 6 reviews away from 600! We can do this! :D**

**This chap is kinda shorter, but I just wanted to get this up as a massive thank you to all of you for last chapter! :D I especially loved reading all those reviews who guessed what was coming next, it was awesome to read :D**

**EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - I'll have him throw a pillow for you now! *Chad throws a pillow* Better? :) Ooh, and don't fret... -LE SPOILER- Sonny will be a musical guest on So Random soon! Singing the song I've wrote... ;)**

**Lovatic4Life15 - Aww, thank you! :D**

**Enjoy! I don't own SWAC x**

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><p><strong>Chapter 38 - Heartbroken<strong>

Chad's POV

When I wake up, I know I'm no longer in Wisconsin. I shove my duvet off of my body, feeling hot from the boiling Californian sun shining through my curtains, and as I listen to the morning traffic outside my window, I can't help but smile.

I'm back, baby!

I make my way to Condor Studios, eager to see my cast again. Eager to see _Sonny _again. Eager to hold her in my arms and comfort her about everything that happened while I was gone. Hey, it's been, like, ten days since I saw her last, and I miss her like heck. Can you blame me?

And no. It's not because I like her in _that_ way. Don't be ridiculous.

I mean, just because I hug my best friend and kiss her on top of her head, and just because every time I'm with her, I feel like I'm on cloud nine_teen_, and just because my friends spent the whole time I was in Wisconsin trying to convince me that there was something between us…

It just would never happen.

Right?

Wrong.

I walk to Melody Falls the second I get to the studio, keen to see Sonny and give her a big hug and tell her that everything's okay again. I just don't realise how everything is… not _really_ okay, until I finally reach the studio.

Melody Falls is almost empty, bar Chastity and Sonny, who are stood in the middle of the Falls' lounge, speaking in hushed tones. I smile, happy to see Sonny hasn't been lonely while I've been gone (I hope), and walk up closer to see if I can (casually) listen in on their conversation.

And maybe that wasn't my best idea yet.

Chastity is speaking when I get close. I hear Sonny say something like "Goody", and Chastity slaps her on the arm lightly. I chuckle quietly, not wanting to make my presence known. Chastity leans in closer to Sonny, and speaks.

"Next time you see Chad," Huh? They're talking about me? "…you need to look that boy in the eyes, stand up straight, take a deep breath, and tell him..." She pauses dramatically, before saying in a sweet voice, "'Chad, I am completely and totally in love with you. I have been for so long and I want to know where I stand. I need you. I've been waiting far too long for this. I love you, and I hope that you love me too, because I need to be with you.'"

…

_In love?_

As in, totally, properly _in love?_

_No_. It can't be true.

But it is.

"_What?_"

I regret opening the mouth the moment I do. I should've just got out of there and pretended I didn't hear anything, but I just had to check…

The two girl's heads whirl around to face me. Chastity looks shocked, and slightly embarrassed, and Sonny is just staring at me with wide, helpless eyes. Usually I'd hold her tight and not let her go, but right now I just… _can't_.

Not after what I just heard.

Chastity whispers something into Sonny's ear which seems to bother her. I gulp, hoping that I'd just heard something wrong.

"Sonny? I-it's true?"

The silence is all I need to hear to tell…

I heard Chastity all-too right.

I try to tear my eyes away from Sonny's, but she just looks so lost, so broken, and I can't do it. Agitated, I groan, raking a hand through my hair in frustration. I hear Chastity leave us, and wince. Why did she have to do that? Why did she have to leave me alone with Sonny? Usually, I'd want that, but right now? I want to be anywhere but here.

I need to get out of here. I need to think. I turn to make a beeline for the door and make my way there.

But Sonny won't let me go that easily.

She runs up behind me, whimpering noisily. My heart twists inside my chest – I feel sick. My head is throbbing – despite the quietness of the situation I somehow have a headache coming on. I try to pry myself away from Sonny's grip, but she's strong for such a small girl and she obviously has other ideas.

"_No!_" Her grip tightens and her voice cracks, and a tiny piece of my heart breaks off from the rest. I turn around and let Sonny hug me, let her bawl into my chest.

I can't believe what I was just about to do, how stupid I was about to be. Walk out on Sonny? Even when I promised her that nothing would ever force me to do that? How could I be so stupid, so selfish?

"Shh…" I mumble into Sonny's hair, unsure of what else I am supposed to say, "Sonny, it's okay… shh…" Despite my comforting, Sonny seems to just get more and more upset. Probably because I she knows I am lying, because everything is not okay right now. I cradle her from side to side like I have so many times before, but this just feels… odd. There is an awkward clumsiness in the air because of Sonny's (sort of) confession. That's, really, the only way I can label it. Her 'confession'. Even though she wasn't the one to confess it and I wasn't necessarily supposed to hear it. Well, not yet, anyway. And not from Chastity.

"I love you…" Sonny's words just make everything so much harder on me. The frail, panicking edge to her voice makes it so much harder for me to leave, because I know that if I did, it would tear her apart. I couldn't do that to her… not now, not ever. "I do, I really do, and I can't let you walk out on me… please don't walk out on me…"

"Sonny, shush…" I find myself stroking her hair like I have so many times before. It feels so wrong, but also so _right_. I really don't know what to say, what to do. "Sonny, it's okay… I'd never walk out on you." I'm not sure of many things right now, but I know that is certain. I could never – _would_ never – walk out on the girl who means so much to me…

But does she really mean _this_ much?

Sonny pulls away from my grip, so that my arms are only loosely wrapped around her back now. She looks up with me, her brown eyes shimmering because of the unshed tears. I watch as she tries to smile, but she just can't. Trying to comfort her, I give her a small, friendly, "it's okay" smile.

And maybe I shouldn't have.

Because that leads her to go and kiss me. _Kiss me._ A real kiss. A kiss that can only be shared by two people who love each other.

_I love you Sonny… _a voice similar to my own rings in my ears. I suddenly remember it from somewhere. As I close my eyes, the image comes back to me.

My dream.

I dreamt of this, a while ago. I dreamt that Sonny and I kissed.

But I forgot about it.

I remember it now, though. All too well.

A kiss, shared by two people who are in love. Sonny… and I… are in love?

No.

We can't be.

We _can't _be.

The kiss ends after what feels like a lifetime. Sonny's eyes are glistening in an unfamiliar way. She looks different to any time I've ever seen her.

She looks _in love._

…N-no. No, this can't be happening…

"Ch-Chad?" Sonny's voice shocks me. I really wasn't prepared for this – _any_ of this. I was prepared to run into the arms of my best friend and hug her tight and not let go. The problem is, that sounds way too similar to something a boyfriend would do.

_Boyfriend… _The word has a strange feel. I've never been a _boyfriend _– not a real one. Not in the eyes of the girlfriends anyway. The word has a strange sensation – almost forbidden.

Especially for Sonny and I.

And as I look into that beautiful-eyed gaze of Sonny Munroe, I realise something.

I just called her beautiful.

…And maybe, just maybe, I feel the same way about her that she does about me.

…But I _can't_.

And that's precisely what I tell Sonny, before making my way to So Random.

Away from _her. _

Sonny's POV

I can't speak. I can't move. All I can do is look into Chad's lost eyes which gaze right back at mine – his blue to my brown. I can see him try to tear his gaze away from me, but he suddenly gives up in his efforts to ignore me. He sighs loudly, running a hand through his blonde hair. I swallow, my hands shaking. I notice Chastity walk away quickly, leave us alone, but all I can really focus on is the disturbed-looking Chad.

My heart sinks as he turns his back on me.

_No. He can't leave me… not now…_

I run up behind him, wrapping my arms around him tightly. I plan to never let go so long as I live, as I realise that a stray tear has escaped from my eye.

Chad pries himself away from me, which just makes me even more scared that he'll leave me. He can't do it. So many people have walked out on me and if Chad is just another one of those people, I don't know what I'll do.

"_No_!" I scream, burrowing my head into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. I hear Chad gasp, before he relaxes from his tense state and hugs me back. You'd think that would relax me too, but I just keep crying into his shirt.

"Shh… Sonny, it's okay… shh…" Chad whispers into my hair, rocking me side to side like a weak little child.

"I love you…" My words flow out uncontrollably, making me sound frail and stupid "I do, I really do, and I can't let you walk out on me… please don't walk out on me…"

"Sonny, shush…" He sighs, raking his hand through my hair, "Sonny, it's okay… I'd never walk out on you."

My heart thuds inside my chest, skipping a few beats at Chad's words. Even now… Chad is staying by my side? If he was just like the rest, Chad would've walked out on me.

But he hasn't.

He's still here.

Does… does that mean…?

Surely it does. Why else would he stay?

And then… I do something to throw everything out of balance.

I pull myself away from his chest and look him in the eyes. He smiles at me kindly, almost sympathetically, but of course I have to go and ruin all that.

Why do I always ruin things when they're going so well?

I kiss him.

I kiss him on the lips.

I know I've made a mistake the second I don't feel him kiss me back. It just… doesn't feel the same as the last time he kissed me, in front of that restaurant all those months ago, because he's _not kissing me back._

_Why is he not kissing me back?_

I pull away, my lips tingling. Obviously, though, Chad doesn't have the same feeling. He refuses to look at me, averting his gaze to his feet. I gulp, my heart suddenly down in my boots.

"Ch-Chad?" I whisper, my voice cracking. Chad looks up at me, an empty look, before he starts to back away.

"I can't…"

He doesn't finish his sentence.

Because he runs out of the studio…

Leaving me.

Chad's POV

The day passes all too slowly. I'm supposed to be focusing on So Random, but I can't. Sonny is all I can really think of, all through the day.

I'm so grateful to get home after work. So Random kinda took my mind off the whole Sonny situation, but I saw her, at lunch, in the cafeteria, which meant that the memories all came flooding back. Sonny made eye contact with me, and though it was just for a second, it was loaded with words that a lifetime couldn't fit in. I couldn't ignore it.

The Randoms could sense my distress all day, but they still tried to get on with normal life. No-one brought my odd mood up, but I could tell by all the awkward silences and shared glances that they knew something was up. I would've loved to tell them, but I couldn't. I couldn't tell them that Sonny said that she loved me. I couldn't tell them that I might've possibly felt the same way. I just couldn't do that to my amazing friends.

Because I'm a coward.

If I wasn't a coward, I would come right out with it – tell my Mom, my friends – that Sonny had said what she had said. If I wasn't a coward, I wouldn't be so on the fence about my feelings for Sonny. You either love a girl or you don't.

So which side of the fence am I on? Why is it so difficult for me to decide?

I groan, chucking myself onto the couch in the living room, breathing in the warm, homey smell of the couch and Mom's cooking next door. The smell reminds me of Wisconsin – the smell of Mom cooking what my nostrils recognised as some kind of casserole – it reminds me of the late evenings with my extended family on Thanksgiving or Christmas, huddled around the fire, waiting hungrily for our food. Back when I was so young. Back when everything was so _easy_. Back when girls had cooties and the idea of love and hugs and kisses was just plain gross.

If only everything was so innocent nowadays.

"Chad?" Mom's voice calls me from the kitchen, "You home?"

"I'm home, Mom." I confirm, my voice sounding as dreary as it has for most of the day. I clear my throat, embarrassed that my mother had to hear me like that. I hate being down and depressed around my mother – she doesn't deserve crap like that.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" He kind, gently voice asks me. I hate lying to my mother.

"I'm fine, Mom." I say, forcing a smile as if trying to convince myself that that is indeed the case. Obviously it isn't a very convincing attempt – I can tell it's fake, and my lovely mother can too. She comes out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her spotted apron, head tilted questioningly.

"Was your day okay?"

I shrug, "It was fine, Mom."

Mom raises an eyebrow at me, and I bite my lip, before trying to retain my poker face. I never was the best liar. I used to play "poker" (for cookies) with my uncles and cousins during holidays, and lost every time. Clearly my lying hasn't got any better since then.

Mom takes a seat next to me on the couch, giving me her warmest smile. That comforts me a little, I guess. But there's something awkward about this situation. I'm a sixteen year old guy – I shouldn't be about to confess girl troubles to my mommy, no matter how much comfort it would give me. Plus, something tells me if Mom knew about Sonny's feelings for me, she'd chase her with a torch and pitchfork. I really love my Mom; don't get me wrong… but sometimes she just makes everything a whole lot worse.

"Okay, baby boy." She says, patting my knee patronisingly. I wince – this is not gonna end well. "Tell me what's up – we both know you're a terrible liar."

"Gee, thanks Mom." I say in monotone. She laughs.

"C'mon, sweetie, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's up."

I exhale loudly, "Think you can change people's emotions? Cos unless you can do that, you can't do anything."

Mom blinks, "Sorry?"

"I found out somethin'… kinda shocking today."

"What was it?" Somehow, my mother's kind, careful smile makes the weight on my shoulders so much lighter. Unfortunately, her smile isn't enough to erase the thoughts of Sonny's tearful face from this morning. I wince at the memory, and my Mom frowns sympathetically. I sigh. Guess it's now or never. Maybe talking about this will help me make my decision?

"I'll tell you as long as you don't freak out."

My mom laughs freely, "No prob, sweetie."

"Well, I found out today that, um… I went to the Melody Falls studio, and uh… I overheard Sonny and her friend talking." Mom nods, her face creasing thoughtfully. I take a deep breath, preparing myself for this, "I heard her say, well… that she loves me. And not just loves, I mean, like, _loooves._"

Mom frowns jokingly, "I never really liked that girl." I laugh.

"_Mom_!"

"I'm joking, honey." She smiles, "But really, what are you going to do?"

I sigh, resting my head in my hands, "I dunno." I admit. Mom frowns.

"Do you like her back, in that way?" She asks.

"I don't know." I say with a huff, "Maybe, I mean… I don't know. I love her, but I dunno if I love her in… _that _way or not. I don't think I do… but then am I just in denial?"

Mom's face screws up in thought, before she gets up off the couch, "Sweetie pie, I think that's for you to decide." She says, "But just remember this. I know how much you care about this girl, and how much you mean to each other. Don't let this jeopardise your friendship with her – friend or boyfriend, you're the one who's given this girl the break she needed so badly. And besides, you can always try things out… and then, if they don't work out, that doesn't matter. You can still be friends, right? Teenagers have such odd ideas about love – you're together forever and then when you break up it's the end of everything. Friendship could still be an option if things didn't work out… right?"

Huh. I didn't think of that. I guess Mom's right – love is so melodramatic.

"But just remember…" Mom says, putting on a stern voice, "If she hurts you, she's gonna have to answer to me!"

I stifle a laugh, "Whatcha gonna do? Throw a rolling pin at her?"

Mom raises a warning eyebrow at me, even though she's joking it still threatens me a little. Ha, I'm such a Momma's Boy.

"Sorry, Mommy." I say in a little boy voice, and she smiles.

"It's okay, honey." She says, "Now, let's go eat! Nothing like sorting your problems out over a good home-cooked chicken casserole!"

My phone is sat on my pillow, and my face is hung over it while I debate what to do with the Sonny situation. Call her? Text her? Sleep on it?

Mom told me that it would be a good idea to call Sonny – talk this through with her, and find out what this means to us. Her advice helped loosen me up for a little, but I'm still kinda concerned. What if we get together and I wreck everything? What if I break Sonny's heart? I'm not a heartbreaker, but she's such a fragile beauty…

I run my hands through my hair, before making a snap decision and picking up the phone, dialling Sonny's number which I know off by heart. After a few unsuccessful rings, I hear Sonny's voice.

"Hey, it's Sonny!" I frown. Her answering machine. "I can't talk right now… leave a message, and I'll get back to you!"

"Hey, Sonny," I say after the beep, "Um, can we talk? Please? About…" I don't know how to label the day's events, "what happened earlier? Please? Um… bye." I hang up awkwardly, shaking my head. Desperate, I give the phone another ring. This time, the dialling stops after two rings and I am met with silence. I try to speak to Sonny, but she doesn't speak back. Frustrated, I hang up the call and give up, dumping my phone on my bedside table. I close my eyes and imagine Sonny and I in a relationship – holding hands, hugging, kissing. It bears a heck of a resemblance to our friendship, which makes me blush crimson.

And it's then when I realise exactly what has been stopping me from admitting my feelings for Sonny this whole time. I've been in denial. It's obvious. I mean, we've been so friendly, so… _romantic, _and I've been leading Sonny on this whole time. The song I performed on So Random was a love song. I kiss her. I cuddle her. I tell her I love her.

No wonder she feels this way about me.

And now that I've finally opened up to it, no wonder I feel the exact same way about her...

Sonny's POV

_The stake's are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours…_

"Hey Sonny? I need to talk to you, please? A-are you there? …C'mon, Sonny, please! We need to talk about this… c'mon, _please_? …Sonny… I'll see you tomorrow, Sonny. Please don't hate me for this… Bye."

I swallow hard, unable to speak. I place a hand to my forehead and weep softly, unable to understand just how it happened.

Unable to understand how Chad became the next person in the long line of them to abandon me.

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><p><strong>AN: Awww, what did y'all think? Did you enjoy it? I personally think it could've been better, but I just needed to get this up for y'all because you so deserved it!**

**And don't worry... Chad will sort this thing out, I can assure you... ;)**

**Bye guys! Review please!**

**~Amy x**


	40. Now That I Get You

**A/N: Hey hey! Now, my plan for this seriously was to update another story before this one, but I dunno. This chap of QTO pretty much wrote itself... I promise, no more QTO updates until DL or LWMS is up! ...Maybe... ;)**

**Heheh, have faith in me, guys... Chaddy will fix things. Hey, my name isn't MusicChannySkyscraper for nothin'. ;)**

**This chap is dedicated to Slinky Flower The Lovatic for being my 600th reviewer! WHOOP WHOOP! We made it! Thank you sooo much guys! 700 is in sight! ;D (total review lover, just sayin' :P)**

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance, or the song in this chapter... Here's the link for the version you should listen to while reading, since I don't think Chaddy boy could sing as high as the original :P www. youtube. com/ watch?v= IoA8eUEZhOQ - Without the spaces, of course.  
><strong>

**Enjoy! :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 39 - Now That I Get You<strong>

Chad's POV

I wake with a shudder the next morning, thoughts flooding my mind about Sonny about how she wouldn't talk to me last night. I get up, a little dizzy, before getting changed and ready to visit Sonny.

I need to talk to her.

I was wrong. I _do _like her in that way. _Of course _I do. How could I not? She's funny, she's pretty, she's kind, and I love her. I love her, I love her.

I love her.

I just need to give this relationship a try – I've been so scared that either I was gonna hurt Sonny or she was gonna hurt me that I denied everything, and wound up hurting her in the process.

But not anymore.

It's time.

Sonny's POV

I wake up to the beeping of my alarm clock echoing in my mind. I groan, pressing the snooze button.

I never wanna wake up again. I'd rather be in a coma forever than go back to this sick, horrible, empty world.

Okay, yeah, fine, I'm being melodramatic. But _no one cares _here. My dad abandoned me, the press and the whole outside world thinks I'm a slut, Mom seems to forget I'm around half the time, and my work mates would probably celebrate if I left.

Even the one person who meant the most to me in the whole entire world let me down.

I poured my heart out to Chad. He knew that he was my everything and that I couldn't live without him. He told me that he wouldn't leave me and then he just turned and walked off like nothing happened when a very _big_ something had happened.

The kiss must've scared him off. How could I do something so… so _stupid? _I wasn't _thinking – _I just got so caught up in the moment, and he was there, and we were alone, and he'd just heard everything. He knew the truth. He knew how I felt. I made a stupid assumption that he felt the same, which he clearly didn't.

How could I be so stupid and forceful that I'd just plant my lips against his, with no warning, and no certainty that he was even ready for it? But then again, we _have_ kissed before. It was nothing new… it might have been a bit of a shock to his system, but still…

But that's not the problem. That's not what's got me angry with Chad. It's the fact that he _left. _He promised me, so many times, that he would never walk out on me. So why was it so easy for him to turn around and walk right out the door? The kiss spooked him out, sure… but _he left. _He broke his promise, and when he broke the promise, he broke my trust in him too.

That's the thing. I trusted Chad. He was the only person in my whole entire life who, until yesterday, hadn't walked out on me, hadn't left me alone when I was at my weakest.

He promised he'd stay, forever.

He lied to me.

If this was a normal person, I'd just try to get over it. I'd be hurt for a little – may more than a little – but nothing too serious. I'd survive. But Chad? Chad is the only person who I feel I can trust. He knows my past, he knows how fragile and pathetic I am. He told me, time and time again;

"_I'll never leave you."_

He was lying. The whole time.

Now, I know Chad. He didn't mean to hurt me. He's not that cruel. He didn't mean to leave me alone like that. But then, if you 'don't mean to' punch someone in the face, or trip them up and cause them to have a concussion, does that instantly make everything better?

No.

I curl up in a ball on my bed, cuddling my legs as if they're going to walk out on me too, sniffling and biting my lip. I look up at the ceiling and wish that I wasn't so pathetic. So, Chad left me alone. So, he just walked out without a backwards glance. Normal people would just say 'so what?' and get on with their life.

How I wish I was like them.

I don't blame Chad for leaving. I'm a mess. I guess it was going to happen some time or another. I just didn't think Chad could do that… he's such a nice guy.

I had to do it again, didn't I? For years I've shut myself away from everything and everyone, and then when I finally find someone who I can actually open up to, he leaves just like everyone else who I opened up to.

I know I shouldn't be making assumptions like this. Chad was shocked, it's obvious. Though I'm hurt, part of me is praying that he'll pull through for me. He called me last night. Five times. Each time, I ignored it. I just… I couldn't do it. I didn't want to hear his voice – it scared me to think that I was just going to break down while talking to him and he'd think I was stupid and pathetic and worthless and hang up, never speaking to me again.

I don't know what I'm gonna do today, at work. Just float through the day, maybe? I'll have to keep myself as far from So Random as possible. If I go anywhere near that place, I'll break down into a puny little heap and make a fool of myself. I can't let Chad see me like that again – I have to be strong.

_I have to be. _

Surely, with my cast surrounding me, I'll have reason to stay brave, right?

"Sonny!" I hear my Mom calling me downstairs, "You have a visitor!"

Groaning, I catapult myself off of my bed, struggling down the stairs and into the hallway.

I freeze when I see who's at the door.

"Sonny!"

His beautiful voice sends a shiver down my spine, and his bright blue eyes almost make me faint. I then remember my promise to myself to stay strong. What was that plan again? Surround myself with my cast. Stay away from So Random.

But I'm here. Away from the protection of my cast. Nowhere near So Random or Melody Falls. On my own.

With him.

Chad's friendly smile fades when he gets a good look of me. I haven't showered or anything. I probably look like a mess. I put a hand to my face to wipe away a single tear, but it's too late. Chad knows me too well.

"Sonny, come here…"

He steps towards me, holding his arms out to hold me, and I flinch out of his grip at the last second. He looks up at me, eyes hurt. The grim part of me takes satisfaction in that sorrow in his face. Almost like revenge for causing me the same pain yesterday.

I shake my head. _No_. No matter how much Chad hurt me, I could never wish him physical or emotional pain. Not Chad. He's not that bad a person.

"Please, Chad…" I somehow find myself speaking. I don't know what to say, and when he frowns sympathetically I almost throw up. "You… you need to leave… you need to leave now."

"Sonny, please-"

"No, Chad, I…" I bite down on my lip, trying had not to explode with tears. "I can't do this right now. This isn't the time…"

"But I need to talk to you about something…" I notice a purple shadow underneath Chad's eyes, eyes which usually look perfectly healthy. I realise that what happened yesterday must've affected him as well as me. He looks exhausted – like he's been thinking all night. I don't know whether to hug him or kick him out.

"Chad, I can't talk right now." I tell him, stuttering out an excuse, "I, um, I have to get ready for work."

Chad looks at the big clock at the end of the hallway. "We have an hour 'til we have to go." He comments.

"I just _can't, _okay?"

"Sonny, it'll only take a few minutes." Chad says. His eyes begin boring into mine and I honestly feel an urge to kiss him. I roll my eyes at myself. Yeah, that would help…

"Sonny…"

I avert my eyes from Chad's, staring straight down at my feet. I swallow hard, take a deep breath, and make a stupid decision.

"Please leave, Chad." I say in a small, weak voice. "I can't talk to you. And that doesn't mean that I don't have time, I just _can't._" My voice fades the more and more I talk. My voice pretty much goes hoarse. "I don't want to fall apart. Not _now_."

"And you won't." Chad promises. Unfortunately, his promises don't mean so much right now. "Sonny, I just want to fix this. Yesterday was a mess… I just want to make things right."

"You can't change the way I feel." I tell him shyly. Chad sighs.

"I know." He admits.

"Then why are you here?"

Chad bites his lip, closes his eyes, almost as if this is hard for him to do. "Because I want to fix my mistake."

"It wasn't just your mistake." I protest, "It was mine too. The whole thing was just one massive mistake…"

"No, Sonny, it wasn't."

"It _was._ Chad, let's face it. I was wrong. This whole thing is just _stupid_…" I run a hand through my hair in frustration. Chad frowns, walking closer to me. I take a step back, but I go too far and end up backing into the wall.

"It's not stupid…" Chad's eyes sparkle with hope, "_I_ was the one who was stupid, if anyone_… _I broke my promise to you. I left you alone when you were at one of your weakest points and that was just unforgivable. I don't even deserve to be your friend… let alone _boyfriend._"

The word feels magical coming from his mouth. I've heard him say it in dreams, but those imaginary images could never do Chad justice. I scoff, "You're telling me? Chad, _I _don't deserve _you._" My hands begin to shake uncontrollably. I don't know whether I'm angry or scared. "I shouldn't have pounced on your yesterday… it was just idiotic…"

"Hey, hey…" Chad sighs soothingly, rubbing the back of my hand with his fingers. I'd be lying if I said I'd felt love as strong as this before. But I just can't… I shouldn't… I mustn't… not matter how much I want to.

"We can't be together." I say in a small voice, "You're my best friend. If I wreck our friendship because of our relationship…"

"You won't do that." Chad promises. Again, I don't believe him at all.

"Our casts would kill us."

Chad just smiles, "Screw them."

I'm shocked at his certainty, his confidence. He's a totally different person to the horrified boy from yesterday. "We can't be together… It would all be so wrong… It would never work out."

"We'd get through it."

It annoys me how sure Chad can be. I don't even understand what's going on… he seems to be… wanting me to date him.

Isn't this what I've always wanted?

And then, Chad does the most unexpected thing ever and kisses my hand. Which then leads him… to kiss my lips.

My face goes white. My hands shake so much more vigorously and my breathing speed just about doubles. I feel like I'm having a panic attack. But the pain is so worth it.

This is wrong. All too wrong. I shouldn't be doing this – I was weak and pathetic and I've Chad all sympathetic. That is all this is. A sympathy kiss.

I shove Chad's shoulders away, and he looks at me, crestfallen. I can't bear to look at him, because if I do, I know my heart will split into two.

"You need to go." I whisper. "Please… leave."

Chad ducks his head, looking almost ashamed. "I'm sorry." He says softly, before turning and walking his way out of the door, slamming it behind himself, leaving me shaking and alone. I collapse onto the floor into a ball and just let the tears flow, unable to do anything, say anything.

It's over. There's nothing I can do to save me and Chad now.

_We can't be together._

_It would all be so wrong._

_It would never work out._

I try to reassure myself that pushing Chad away was the right thing to do. I can't let him in; I can't let anyone in again. I've made that mistake too many times… I need a break.

Screw that – I need _Chad._

But I can't have him.

I can't get too close… I can't be hurt like this again.

_Not again…_

Chad's POV

_How can I make her see…?_

I run a hand through my hair in frustration, making my way from Sonny's front door to my car. I need to get to So Random, quick, so I don't lose my mind thinking about Sonny.

I thought that this was it. I thought I could just apologise. Apologise to Sonny, and everything would be okay. I should've known that I was wrong. I should've known that Sonny was furious with me.

She looked like a ghost of the girl I knew. She didn't look right – my Sonny looked terrified, frustrated, to see me, and I hate that. I hate that I made Sonny upset, made her weak. I know how breakable Sonny is, and I ignored it. I was confused, okay? I didn't know what to do!

And then I walked out on the girl that meant the most to me in the whole world and left her alone, to fend for herself, when I knew that she just _couldn't_. Not without me.

I've never been so thoughtless in all my life. How could I do that to Sonny? How could I be so brainless, so pathetic, that I'd just deny everything that I really felt about the most beautiful girl I've ever known and leave her like that, floundering without me?

I know it's selfish and egoistical to think that Sonny couldn't survive without me, but seeing that look on her face – that lost, broken look – woke me up. She was _falling apart._

All because of me. She couldn't stand the sight of me… how could I let that happen? Sonny trusted me more than anyone in the world, and I let her down. I betrayed her, just like everyone else in her life prior. And why? Because I was down-right scared. I was terrified that, by dating Sonny – by being friends with Sonny – I would lose the Randoms. I thought – knew – that they'd be furious. The press would sure go crazy about it, and the hype would be astoundingly awful. But I cared about Sonny so much more than I cared for the Randoms, for the press, for my reputation.

I had to protect her.

But I didn't.

If only I could make her see! If only I could show her that I wasn't like everyone else, that I was there to help her heal, to help _save _her.

I just didn't know how I could do that. I tried holding her hand, kissing her, promising her that everything would be alright, but I just seemed to frighten her even more.

I don't know what to do.

I arrive at So Random, and turns out I'm a half hour early and no-one else is here, apart from some random people from other shows, wandering around, trying to get everything ready for their respective shows. None of my cast are here though. Bored, and trying to stop myself from pondering over Sonny, I turn on the TV and some cheesy romantic movie comes on. Groaning, I look around for the remote, not wanting to torture myself with the idea of love. My efforts are fruitless though – I moan, sitting down and beginning the torture since there's nothing else to do and I don't wanna do nothing or I might just die of boredom.

Metaphorically, of course.

This is an especially cringe-worthy moment. The brunette girl on screen walks into a dark room, turns on the lights, and immediately, music starts playing – there's a stage. And a band on the stage. The girl's love interest comes out of the curtains and starts singing a fun, bouncy love song for her, and I have to admit, he's kind of good. The girl blushes and giggles and dances around, and she just makes me think of an older, not-as-beautiful version of Sonny (so much for a distraction…).

And then I spot the remote sat on top of the sarcophagus (okay…) and turn over the channel. A music channel comes on – I recognise Demi Lovato and half-smile.

_Give Your Heart A Break._ I love this song, I don't care if that's lame or not – it's just awesome. So sweet, and it fits so well with Sonny and I…

I drop the remote on the floor, before frantically fishing in my pocket for my phone. I dial my cousin – Beth's – number and wait a few moments before she answers.

"_Cuz_!" She coos, "It's been too long! We need to meet up, pronto."

"How's today sound?" I ask her, smiling a little. Beth has a band – a great band. I need their musical talents.

"…Today would be fine." Beth says warily.

"Could you bring your band mates too?"

"I suppose…" She mumbles, "Expect Jamie." I sigh. Jamie's the singer – a blonde, pretty girl, who could pretty much be Beth's twin. She doesn't have the pink streak in her hair though, and has a heart tattoo on her wrist along with her fiancé's name – Alec.

"Why? Do you need us, Chaddyo?" She asks in a chatty tone.

"I do." I say, "It's somethin' to do with a girl…"

Beth squeals, "My little cuz is bein' all romantical!"

"Shut up." I hiss. She just giggles childishly.

"Well, you could take Jamie's place. I know you're a dude but we can just drop the pitch of whatever song it is you need."

I swallow, hard. "I dunno…"

"Dude, you sang on a worldwide TV show the other week! Don't be a baby! You're awesome!"

I sigh, remembering the song I sang for Sonny on So Random. It was a love song, wasn't it? I shake my head, realising the extend of my stupidity. I wonder if Sonny thought that song was just a friendship song, or if she _really_ took it as a love song… I wonder how long she's actually been 'in love' with me. It's gonna take a while to get used to that thought.

"Fine, I'll sing." I agree, "But you've gotta help me."

"Deal, lil' cuz." She chuckles, "We'll be down there faster than you can say 'Beth is the best cousin ever'!"

"Just get down here!" I laugh. Okay, I love Beth. She kinda is the best cousin ever, to do this for her stupid little cousin.

Not that I'd admit it though. Too much love right now. I'm still getting used to the whole 'loving Sonny' thing. Any more love and I might explode.

"On my way!" Beth exclaims, before hanging up on me.

"Great." I say to the dialing tone, a smile toying at my lips.

It's finally time…

Sonny's POV

I finally make my way into Condor Studios, three hours later than I should have. I called my director and begged to start later today – I just haven't been able to face it. I lied in bed for like, two hours, hugging my pillow and staring at a picture of Chad, my heart throbbing, aching.

When I arrive at Melody Falls, Chastity is the first to embrace me into a hug. I called her a couple of hours ago and confessed everything.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" She asks me. I nod, even though I know the eyeliner I applied earlier can't possibly be hiding the sad, defeated look I've been wearing all day. I bet I look zombie-like.

Chastity sighs, "I'm sorry about Chad."

_Me too. _

"Have you spoken to him?" She asks curiously. I shake my head.

"Not since this morning." I say solemnly. Chastity sighs, gripping my arm in her warm hand and dragging me out of the set. I blink.

"Uhh, where are we going?" I ask warily, but she doesn't reply. She drags me down some random hallway that I don't even recognise, and we end up in Stage 10. Stage 10 used to be the set for an old chart show that filmed on the lot, but it moved to a different studio a while back. The stage is still set up like it used to be, though – they didn't have the heart to take it down. Mr Condor thought it was a 'studio memory', which is deep coming from him.

I scan the room, curious as to why Chastity and I are here. I know I shouldn't ask – she'll just ignore me again, like she has been the whole of the walk. I notice a single put-up seat in the exact centre of the room, facing the stage. I blink again, confused.

"Why's there a random chair there?" I ask. Chastity just shrugs.

"Sit." She instructs me, and, bemused, I sit down as she instructed, crossing my legs and leaning back in the chair.

"What now?" I ask. Chastity just grins knowingly.

"I'll be back soon." She tells me with a deliberate wink. I bite my lip, slightly worried as the girl leaves me alone in the semi-dark room. I make a bored popping sound with my mouth, scanning the room curiously. I don't even know what I'm doing here… maybe Chastity's gone mental?

A wait a few seconds, sighing loudly, before shuffling around on my seat.

"Hello?" I call out, irritated. There's a shuffling behind the blue curtain on the stage, and my heart just about stops for that second. I presumed I was alone in here, but apparently not…

A tall girl pokes her head out of the curtain - a girl who is faintly familiar. She has blonde hair, with a pink streak down the side, and has very familiar blue eyes.

"Oh, good!" She croons, "You're here!" She pops her head back behind the curtain and speaks to someone, before turning back to face me with a confident smile.

"Hey!" She greets me, her white teeth sparkling in the spotlight that turns on the second she speaks. "Um… Sonny, right?"

I gulp, "Right…" I honestly have no idea what's going on here. The girl obviously notices my confusion.

"Just sit and relax." She assures me, "This is gonna be fun!" She stares at me for a long moment, before squealing, "So _romantic_!" and hiding back behind the curtain. I open my mouth to say something, but give in, not wanting to put a downer on this girl's obvious good mood. She comes back out of the curtains – her whole body, this time – holding a shiny red bass guitar. She grins at me, still looking remarkably confident.

"Soo… this is, uh, an unannounced gig, I suppose?" She says, flicking her blonde-and-pink hair behind her ear. I raise an eyebrow at her, and the blue curtain begins to lift. I notice a whole band is behind her – a guy on drums, a guy with a black and red guitar (which isn't as glossy as the girl's), a guy with a keyboard, and one more guy stood behind a microphone in the front, who catches my attention. My heart sinks just about flips out of my chest when I notice that he has the blonde hair, the shimmering blue eyes, the same shades as the bass girl.

"Ch-Chad…" I whisper. He gives me a small, shy smile – he's a lot more timid than the rest of them, who are obviously part of a band.

Suddenly, music begins to echo around the room – a strong, violin sound that just makes me want to dance. Well, it would, if my eyes weren't fixed on Chad, watching as he takes the mic off of the stand and walks off of the stage, towards me. His eyes don't desert mine – his gaze stays permanently fixed on me. I feel like I could melt, right here, right now. I recognise the song immediately, even though the pitch is slightly dropped – it's one of the songs I sat in my room playing, singing along to, dreaming that Chad would sing to me.

And here he is.

About to sing it to me.

And then, he begins to sing in that soft, angelic voice, and I swear I _do_ melt.

_The day I first met you  
>You told me you'd never fall in love<br>But now that I get you  
>I know fear is what it really was<em>

_Now here we are, so close, yet so far  
>Haven't I passed the test?<br>When will you realise?  
>Baby, I'm not like the rest!<em>

Chad is now right in front of my face, grinning assertively. Suddenly, he grabs my hand and yanks me out of the chair, and from the force I almost fall over. I can't balance myself – stupid daydream-state. I swear this has to be a dream. I pinch myself, hard… but he's still there.

I suddenly lose myself in the music as he launches into the chorus.

_Don't wanna break your heart  
>Wanna give your heart a break<br>I know you're scared it's wrong  
>Like you might make a mistake<br>There's just one life to live  
>And there's no time to wait, to waste<br>_

_So let me give your heart a break  
>Give your heart a break<br>Lemme give your heart a break  
>Your heart a break<br>Oh, yeah, yeah_

_On Sunday, you went home, alone  
>There were tears in your eyes<br>I called your cell phone, my love  
>But you did not reply<em>

_The world is ours, if you want it, we can take it  
>If you just take my hand… <em>

Chad smiles, wrapping his hand around mine. He feels so warm, so safe. When I don't pull away from his grip, he grins. I find myself losing control, giggling, dancing around Chad as he laughs and sings and smiles that charming, beautiful smile.

_There's no turning back now…  
>Baby, try to understand!<em>

_Don't wanna break your heart  
>Wanna give your heart a break<br>I know you're scared it's wrong  
>Like you might make a mistake<br>There's just one life to live  
>And there's no time to wait, to waste<br>_

_So let me give your heart a break  
>Give your heart a break<br>Lemme give your heart a break  
>Your heart a break<br>There's just so much you can take  
>Give your heart a break<br>Lemme give your heart a break  
>Your heart a break<br>Oh, yeah, yeah_

The sound suddenly drops – everything is so much quieter. Just the lone piano, and Chad's beautiful voice. It's only now, when he sings, staring into my eyes, that I realise I'm smiling, blushing furiously. Chad is about an inch from my face – so close to kissing me.

_When your lips are on my lips  
>And our hearts beat as one<br>But you slip out of my fingertips  
>Every time you run…<em>

_Whoa-oh-oh oh oh oh_

_Don't wanna break your heart  
>Wanna give your heart a break<br>I know you're scared it's wrong  
>Like you might make a mistake<br>There's just one life to live  
>And there's no time to wait, to waste<br>_

_So let me give your heart a break  
>Cos you've been hurt before<br>I can see it in your eyes  
>You try to smile it away<br>Somethings you can't disguise_

_Don't wanna break your heart  
>Baby, I can ease the ache, the ache<em>

_So let me give your heart a break  
>Give your heart a break<br>Lemme give your heart a break  
>Your heart a break<br>There's just so much you can take  
>Give your heart a break<br>Lemme give your heart a break  
>Your heart a break<br>Oh, yeah, yeah_

_The day I first met you  
>You told me you'd never fall in love<em>

His brilliant blue eyes sparkle as he finishes the song with a small, bashful smile, and my heart stops inside my chest for an unaccountable number of seconds before he finally blinks and I'm dragged back into the real world. Curse Chad. Curse him for being so close to perfection that he can literally take my breath away from me. I find myself smiling – a gentle smile which matches his. He opens his mouth to speak, looking hopeful.

"I want this to work out." He tells me shyly, "I want us to… try this relationship thing."

"So do I." I agree, my voice so quiet it's even almost inaudible to my own ears.

"Good." He murmurs, wrapping his gentle arms around my waist, sending an electric shock up my spine that makes me just wanna kiss him.

"So… we'll go out." Chad ponders, "Try this whole 'date' thing, because… gosh, I love you, and I want this to work. We'll make it work. It's just that…" He runs a hand through his blonde hair, "Friend or boyfriend, I wanna be there for you. And I will be there for you, I promise. I- I'm not gonna make a stupid mistake like I did yesterday, not ever again, I promise…" He leans down, placing a soft kiss on my hand, "You're worthy of so much more than that."

I reach up to my cheek and expect it to be burning at a thousand degrees, but it feels perfectly normal. It's then I realise that I feel safe around Chad. Not insecure. Not anymore, while I'm with Chad, anyway. Chad is my safety net – like he said; friend or boyfriend.

I wrap my arms around his neck, meeting his eyes with a wide smile. "I love you." I tell him.

He then presses his lips against mine, and my heart does somersaults inside my chest. When I realise what's going on, I kiss him back, passionately. It only lasts a few seconds, but that's all it needs. That kiss is a confirmation.

A confirmation that Chad will always be by my side.

Chad pulls away from the kiss, and the hug, laughing like a little kid. I giggle too, feeling happier and safer around Chad then I ever have before. Well, we are… together now. Boyfriend and girlfriend. It feels strange, finally calling Chad my 'boyfriend'.

But it's what I've been waiting for for almost five months.

And now, it's finally here.

I tear my eyes away from Chad's for a nanosecond, worried that if I keep looking, I just might faint from happiness. I spot the band on stage – our witnesses.

"Um… They're not gonna tell anyone, are they?" I ask, pointing at the band. The blonde haired girl waves at me, her grin even wider than my own.

"Na." Chad shrugs, "They're my cousin's band. They promised they'd stay quiet."

So that's where I recognised the blonde from! Now that I think about it, her resemblance to her cousin is extraordinary. Same blonde hair – although, thankfully, no pink in Chad's - same blue eyes. They could easily be siblings.

"But, to be honest, who cares if they did tell anyone?" Chad continues with a smile, "See, I've been thinking. This whole time I've been avoiding asking you out because I've been scared of what everyone else thinks. We've hurt people by keeping this a secret – I think we need to tell people what's going on."

I feel my eyes widen. No! We can't tell people!

"Why?" I whine.

"Because I'm tired of hiding in the shadows." Chad sighs, placing an arm around my shoulders, "We've been hiding our friendship for three months now. Maybe even more. I… I can't do it anymore… I can't lose you or any of my friends because of all the suspicions."

"But, c'mon, Chad…" I frown, "If we tell everyone…"

"Screw them." Chad mumbles. His cousin – Beth, I think? – cheers from the stage.

"You say it, cuz!" She squeals.

I groan, "I just don't wanna hurt people. They'd be so mad if we told them…"

"They'd be madder if we kept it from them and they found out themselves." Chad points out. I hate to admit that he's right. "And besides – it's our relationship. Not theirs. Whatever they say, I don't care. I wanna be with you."

Giving in, I take Chad's hand and try for a smile. He grins at my response (or lack of one).

"How about we confess after our first date?" He suggests, "The paparazzi will probably see us out anyway and do a feature on it."

"I suppose." I agree. Chad smiles, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek.

"This is gonna be perfect." He announces. I smile and nod.

"Sure is."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: -le party- YAYYYYYY! Aww, didn't I tell you guys it would all work out! They are officially together! *party popper* But ah, never fear. I have plenty of drama planned for this... Lots of Falling For The Falls-like drama... only no-one with throw up, no matter how entertaining that would be :P**

**To be honest, I love that I got Give Your Heart A Break into this chapter. I just love this song - it's such an inspiration for me! I got totally stuck yesterday during the first Sonny/Chad scene and listening to the song for, like, 30 minutes on repeat helped me! I'm listening to it right now - at the moment, it's my fave song :P**

**I love Beth, btw. She's just hilariously fun to write :P**

**Sooo what do you guys think? Did you like this chap? Any ideas on what be coming next? I have the next three chapters planned, and they'll all be based around their date and stuff! *pumps fist* **

**Review with your thoughts, please! :D**

**~Amy x  
><strong>


	41. The Peacock's Feathers

**A/N: Heheheheh. I love you guys and your beautiful reviews :D I loved receiving every one of them! And I'm especially glad that y'all are happy for Sonny and Chad! Well, here comes the latest chapter! It's a bit of a filler, but I really didn't want to do anything else until next chapter, when the fun'll really begin! This chap is just me having total fun with Chad/Tawni friendship, because I think they're adorable as friends. Not as a relationship though. The thought makes me barf.**

** Shout-outs this chap go to anon Julie for being incredible and sweet and just genuinely _awe-some! _Also to MrB.o.B1990 for Skyping me for most of the time I've been writing this! Yay :)**

**I hope y'all enjoy it!**

**Note:- The chapter name probably makes no sense right now. It's crazy, I know. You'll get it as we go into the chapter :P**

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance! Even though I know all the words by heart :P (lol sad life)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 40 - The Peacock's Feathers<strong>

Tawni's POV

You'd think I'd be kind of shocked to see Chad amble into the Prop House, humming a Demi Lovato tune with a grin that's so wide, it hardly fits on his face. Heck, I know the guy's like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, but this is just… weird. Chad isn't the bravest of guys – he doesn't sing or hum aloud often. I especially didn't know he was a fan of Demi.

"In a good mood, Chad?" I ask him sweetly.

"Huh?" He blinks, almost as if my speaking has woke him from a trance. Weird… "Oh, yeah." He mumbles, "Great mood."

I smirk. Gossip time! See, this is what I miss about having a female cast member my age. I can't gossip with these guys – especially not Zora. That is, if I don't want said gossip to be spread…

"Any particular reason?" I ask. He just shrugs.

"I dunno. I guess there's just something about the _sunshine _today…" **(Heheh OMD StarStruck!) **I ignore the weird smile that creeps onto his lips. Chad can be a nutcase from time to time. This must be one of those times.

"C'mon, Chad, the sunshine is always like this – it's _California._" He sits down on the couch, and I sit next to him, bumping him with my shoulder, "What happened? Did you meet a pretty girl? Did you get a date?"

Chad sighs, and I grin. He must've realised that I'm not backing down. "Yeah, I have a date." He admits. I squeal – I don't really mind if he has a date or not. I'm now pretty much over my crush on him. He's my cast mate, my friend – thinking about it, he's like a brother. Dating him would be like incest.

Ew.

"Who is she? Do I know her?"

Chad winces, "No, you don't."

"Awh." I say, "When do we get to meet her?"

"After our first date." He says, "We wanna see of this thing works first before we go all public."

"Aww!" I giggle, "My lil' brother has a crush!"

Chad smiles softly, "Little brother?"

I nod, "That a problem?"

"Oh, no, no." Chad says, his smile growing into a grin, "I'm glad. I've been waiting for us to be this close again for ages."

"Me too." I say, matching his grin.

We're finally getting along again! I've been waiting so long for this.

And this time, my problems with Sonny aren't gonna get in the way.

Chad's POV

"In a good mood, Chad?" Tawni asks me when I step into the Prop House. I didn't realise that I'd been humming to myself – I was just too busy thinking about Sonny and our _date._

_Wow. _It's been twenty minutes and I still can't get used to the fact. I wanted to stay in that room with Sonny forever, but she had rehearsals to get to. I decided I might as well come here ready for my rehearsals too, and when I entered, Tawni was the only one here.

"Huh?" I say, before realising what she'd said, "Oh, yeah. Great mood."

I see the smirk on Tawni's lips, and shudder a little. I know that face. That's Tawni's _ooh-gossip-yay_ face. Fantastic…

"Any particular reason?" She asks nosily.

I shrug. "I dunno. I guess there's just…" I chuckle as I think up my own little joke, "something about the _Sonshine _today." I grin at the excuse to think of Sonny. Trust me to relate everything to Sonny. Now I've admitted it, it's almost like I've been in love with Sonny for months. It's kind of weird, but great at the same time.

Obviously, Tawni doesn't catch on my little pun. I wouldn't expect her to, anyway. Sonny is more her storm than the beautiful sunshine that follows, to her. "C'mon, Chad," She moans, "the sunshine is always like this – it's _California_." She sits next to me and bumps me with her shoulder, grinning, "What happened? Did you meet a pretty girl? Did you get a date?"

Not wanting to lie to Tawni, but also not wanting to tell her the truth, I sigh. "Yeah, I have a date." I say, with no intention of saying who with.

Tawni squeals, and I wince at her excitement, "Who is she? Do I know her?"

"No, you don't." I say. Well, it's not totally a lie. Tawni doesn't know the Sonny that I'm dating. She knows (or _thinks _she knows) the evil diva version of Sonny.

"Awh," Tawni moans, before getting excited again, "When do we get to meet her?"

"After our first date." I say. That, at least, is also true. Sonny and I will admit we're a couple after our first date. Sonny promised, even though she wasn't too thrilled with the idea. "We wanna see of this thing works first before we go all public."

"Aww!" She coos, "My lil' brother has a crush!"

I can't help but smile, "Little brother?"

Tawni nods, her radiant smile not fading. Ah, this is the Tawni I love. A little crazy, a little kind, with a hint of diva. "That a problem?"

"Oh, no, no. I'm glad." I say truthfully, "I've been waiting for us to be this close again for ages."

"Me too." She grins.

"Good!" I say happily, giving her a friendly smile. "So, what shall we do now?"

Tawni shrugs, "Grady and Nico had to go to Grady's for a 'cheese emergency'." She rolls her eyes, putting air quotes around the words, "I don't get those guys."

"What about Zora?" I ask. Tawni stares up at the vents awkwardly.

"She's up there… somewhere." She says suspiciously, "Playing a prank on the Falls kids, I believe."

"Ah…" I smirk, "Zora, ever the prankster."

"Yeah…" Tawni giggles.

"So… just us." I comment. She nods. The room is silent for a minute, before Tawni gasps ecstatically.

"I think we should give you a makeover!" She announces proudly, placing her hands on her hips, obviously pleased with her plan. I, on the other hand…

"A makeover?" I scoff. Tawni nods seriously. "May I ask why?"

Tawni rolls her eyes as if it's obvious, "You're going an a date!" She exclaims.

"I know…" I blink, kinda confused, "Your point being…?"

Another eye roll, before she jumps up off the couch and grabs my arm, yanking me yp on my feet. I wobble a little, unprepared, but luckily don't fall flat on my face.

"You're cute 'n' all, Chad," _Gee, thanks, _"but you're going on a date, and we need to make you _hot_!" She throws her arms out in a dramatic gesture, and I can't help but let out a laugh, which she ignores, "So, what do you say?"

"Um…" I hesitate to make it seem like I'm politely thinking it over, "No thanks, Tawni. I'll be fine."

Her mouth drops open, before she decides to resort to pleading like a little girl. She pouts gripping my arm.

"Ohh, pleeeeaaaasssseeee?" She begs, "It's be _fu-un!_"

"For you or for me?" I ask warily. She grins at the sudden possibility that I might be thinking of giving it a shot.

"For both of us!" She promises eagerly, "Come _on! _I'll get a test subject to try out my makeover-er skills on," _Test subject? Makeover-er? _I'm doomed. "…and you'll get to show off to your pretty date… like peacocks to!"

I snort at the thought of being described as a "peacock." It hasn't always been my biggest dream to be a colourful bird with feathers that look like they have eyes on 'em…

"I'm not the flashiest of guys, though, Tawn." I say, "I'm not exactly a 'peacock' kinda guy…"

"_Please_?" Tawni begs, pouting still. I shuffle my feet around and she purses her lips together, "Will it reassure you if I say I've made-over five uber-successful male supermodels?"

"Oh yeah?" I say, faced with the challenge in her eyes, "Who?"

Tawni's face falls. Obviously I wasn't supposed to ask that question.

"Well… I haven't yet… but when I have my own makeover show I will have! _Please_?" She wails, practically falling at my feet. I wouldn't be surprised if she started kissing my shoes or something in an act of pleading.

Giving in, and realising that Tawni won't do the same, I raise my hands in a gesture of surrender, "Okay. Okay! Fine, we'll do it."

Tawni looks up at me with wide eyes, "We will?" She asks hopefully. I nod, and she jumps about five feet in the air in celebration.

"Yay!" She squeals, linking her arm in mine, skipping out of the room and leaving me no other option but to follow.

Oy vey.

* * *

><p>Tawni drives me to the nearest mall and hands me a pair of sunglasses and a trilby hat so that we don't get recognised.<p>

"My boyfriends usually wear those-" Boyfriend_s. Of course. _"But you can wear them now. It's an emergency, after all!"

She then marches into the mall, on a mission, popping into only the very best designer stores. Some places give the clothes to us for free for promotional reasons, to wear on So Random, since people would see me wearing them on TV (Tawni's idea). Thanks to Tawni, all I have to buy is a pair of sneakers, because she says that my own are old and tatty. To be honest, I prefer old and tatty to the feeling of walking on marshmallows, but hey, Tawni knows best, I suppose. I have to keep her pleased.

After shopping for clothes, she leads me into a hair salon. She greets the staff like their her best friends (which I assume they are) and leads me into a room at the back, labelled the 'VIP room'. There's two vanities placed in the middle of the room, with pictures of previous successes - both male a female - on the walls. The colours are mainly beige and white, with more adventurous colours being used on the more outrageous hairstyle photos. I gulp, sinking into one of the chairs.

It's not long before a woman in her mid-twenties enters the room, grinning. She has an impressive tan – not too orange – and bleach-blonde hair, and her roots suggest she was a brunette, a long, long time ago. The hidden brown roots look so out of place on top of her head. I can just about empathise with them on that one. I'm way outta my depth in here.

"So, Tawni," The blonde sings and starts fiddling with my hair, raking her hands through it. I wince as my hair feels like it's being pulled off of my scalp.

Well. I feel so much better about this makeover thing now. Note my sarcasm.

"What are we doing for your cute lil' friend here?" I don't know whether to be flattered or terrified.

Tawni smiles almost evilly, "Cover his eyes," she instructs, "I want it to be a surprise!"

I swallow hard as the blonde places a blindfold over my eyes. I listen to Tawni pondering over all the pictures, and begin to fear for my hair. I try to imagine myself with all the worse hairdos I can think of – maybe she's gonna pick a Mohawk. Maybe she'll make me bald. I wince, an insecure part of my brain suggesting that this is all just a prank for a TV show, or maybe Tawni getting back at me for being friendly with Sonny.

Great.

I gasp as Tawni finally announces happily, "That one!" I tense up until the woman tells me to relax, and give in. Well, this should be fun…

…

A few minutes later, and nothing crazy has happened, from what I can tell. I haven't heard her shave off one side of my hair, I can't feel the cold air against my scalp. Well, that rules out bald. Maybe they went for an afro instead? Or maybe they died it crazy colours. That would work for the 'peacock' side of things – it would probably attract a lot of attention anyway… for all the wrong reasons, of course.

"Okay, Chad!" The woman coos, fiddling with the blindfold, "Check this out…"

I prepare myself for the nightmare when I open my eyes, but I'm… pleasantly surprised. Not much of my hair as been cut off – if any – it's just been gelled. My bangs have been lifted off of my forehead completely, and I give a small smile. I look older. I look more… Hollywood, too.

I hate to admit it, but I look _good._

Sonny's POV

The day after Chad asked me out, and I'm sat with my cast in the cafeteria, watching the Random's table. Nico, Grady, and Zora are all eating, but Chad and Tawni are nowhere to be seen, and that makes me feel slightly queasy. What if she's finally got to him? What if she's stolen him away, on the day of our first date? It make my head hurt just to think about it.

Suddenly, Tawni steps into the cafeteria, grinning dazzlingly.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" She squeals loudly, grabbing everyone in the room's attention. "Presenting… the _new _Chad Dylan Cooper!"

I gulp. The _new _Chad Dylan Cooper…?

Oh no.

Tawni steps out of the way of the door, holding her hands out dramatically and grinning. I shudder, expecting some Hollywood-fied version of Chad to swagger through the door. Instead, Tawni's introduction is just met with a small mumble of, "You had to grab everyone's attention like that, didn't you?"

I giggle quietly to myself. Nope. He's still the same ol' Chad.

Everyone stops watching the whole 'new Chad' thing, getting bored, and that's when Chad decides to enter.

And that's when I realise what Tawni meant by 'the new Chad'.

He looks totally different! His clothes look expensive and cool, and his hair looks stylish and makes his face look older. He looks like he's been in Hollywood for longer than five months.

That's only judging by his attire, though. His almost shy, closed-off posture and the way he keeps looking around at everyone, and the fact that his facial expression isn't one like one of those self-obsessed jerks usually wear. Underneath all this new attire, he still looks like my Chad. My little, naïve, Wisconsin-bred Chad.

Just the way I like him.

Chad takes a seat with his friends – not before shooting me a small, gentle smile – who, though they are not as interested and entertained as Tawni is about the whole thing, compliment Chad on his hair, his clothes. Chad just shrugs and smiles, taking the compliments as they come. It's good to see that Chad is still modest as well. If he'd become a Hollywood jerk because of this makeover, I don't know what I would've done now. It would've terrified me – Chad is the only one in this whole damn city (apart from Chastity, I suppose) who is normal, kind, good-hearted. If he changed, I would be horrified. I couldn't cope if Chad ended up exactly like all these jackasses…

Then, when everyone has lost interest, Chad gets up to get some food. He shoots me a subtle look, gesturing with his head to the food counter, and I take the hint quickly. I excuse myself from the table and get up to meet him, picking up a tray to cover my alibi of 'getting lunch'.

"Hi." I say quietly to Chad when no-one's within ear-range. He smiles the second I open my mouth.

"Hey." He replies, almost voicelessly. He glances over to his cast, before looking back down at his food tray, "They're watching us."

I get a slight glimpse of the Randoms, and, what do you know, they are looking at us. Some look curious, some look slightly agitated. I immediately drop my eyes to a bowl of apples on the counter, unable to watch their glares any longer. It's kind of awkward. Especially since I know that I'm having a date with their friend tonight and they don't know about it. I'd almost feel bad about it, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm just selfish and I need Chad more than they would ever know.

"Just act natural." I assure Chad. He just sighs.

"This is ridiculous." He says, "Can't we just tell them that we have that date tonight?"

"No!" I say, a little too loudly. A couple of people look over from random tables, but luckily Chad's cast have lost interest and seem to be talking amongst themselves about something else. Chad frowns at me, and I tuck a length of hair behind my ear, my eyes shooting back down at the apples as if I didn't see him. I pick up an apple, taking a bite out of it. I take as long as possible to chew and swallow, to think out my next strategy.

"You promised we'd wait 'til after the date." I say finally.

"It hardly makes a difference." Chad scoffs, rolling his eyes. I heave out a sigh, trying to find any reason to avoid confessing, which will lead to a full-out eruption between me and the Randoms. I don't want to cause a fight in the middle of the cafeteria – that wouldn't be pretty. Plus, I'd hate to cause Chad's friends to be mad at him. Chad doesn't seem to realise that when we confess this to our casts, all hell will break loose. I don't think it will cure the rivalry, like Chad seems to think.

"Please can we wait, Chad?" I plead, "If we tell them now, imagine the explosion! Your cast will go ballistic! We need to give them time. Just to warm up to the idea." Chad tilts his head to the side in thought. "Please?" I add as an afterthought, for good measure.

Chad shrugs, "I suppose."

"Good." I say, trying not to smile, "By the way, you look great. You just scream '_Hollywood_'!"

Chad laughs, "It's all for you, Sonshine."

I blink, "For me?"

"Yeah. Tawni found out I had a date – she doesn't know it's with you though, so no worries – but yeah. She said I needed to be 'less cute, and more _hot_.'"

I roll my eyes, giggling slightly, "That sure sounds like Tawni."

"Yup." Chad grins a little, unable to keep it off of his face, "So, um, I'll pick you up at seven, 'kay?"

"Sure."

"Cool." Chad smiles, "See you then."

Aware that the Randoms are now looking in our direction again, I shoot Chad a snobbish look.

"Loser." I snort.

"Diva." He retorts. We head back to our respective tables, trays in hand, and I just smile when I get back to my own.

I can't believe this is finally happening!

Tawni's POV

As Chad leaves to get his lunch, I beckon the others to sit closer. They scootch closer into the middle of the table, and I stick my head in the middle.

"What did you guys think? He looks good, huh? The peacock's finally got his feathers!" I grin, dancing in my seat. My Chad-makeover went awesome – he looks so different! That date of his is one lucky girl… luck_ier_ now that he's been made up to look all awesome and stuff! Heehee.

My friends nod, but they don't seem too excited. Eh, I don't mind. They're not as fashion-conscious as me. Obviously.

"Y'know what I'm finding more interesting…?" Nico says darkly, "The way he's smilin' with Munroe."

"What?" My head snaps up to see Chad, stood next to Sonny. They don't look like they're openly talking – more like they're pretending _not _to talk.

Weird.

"I wonder what they're talking about…" Grady ponders, rubbing his chin. Nico shrugs.

"Dunno. But it's obvious they're talking about _something_. They're acting all discrete 'n' stuff…"

I watch as Sonny picks up an apple and speaks, and as Chad smiles in reaction to something she said. Hmm…

"Maybe we should go take a look." I suggest, "Go ruffle the peacock's feathers…"

Okay, what is up with all my peacock references?

"Na, leave 'em be." Zora says, dipping a fry into some ketchup. "I've seen them like this before – it's nothing big. Just Chad and Sonny being weird ol' Chad and Sonny. You'll see – they'll go back to normal any second now." I can tell there's something going on behind her eyes, but I don't really want to investigate. The girl's mind is a messed-up labyrinth.

Chad and Sonny stop smiling and suddenly give each other disgusted looks, and I watch suspiciously as they head back to their respective tables.

As I look over at Sonny's table, I notice her looking over in Chad's direction…

Smiling.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, so, like I said: filler. But hey, I had fun with it. I woke up early this morning and thought "what the hey?" so half of this was written this morning in bed, and then I finished it this afternoon. I hope you guys liked it! I'll probably hate it by tomorrow morning but it was super fun to write :)**

**Has anyone else noticed there's an awesome new review button? Why not take that baby for a spin and REVIEW! Please? I would be eternally grateful, guys. Let's try and get as many reviews as possible on that awesome new review button and welcome it to the magical world that is Quite The Opposite! ;D**

**So I suppose that was a long-winded way of me asking for reviews ;) Ciao, guys! **

**~Amy x**


	42. Hiding Behind The Lies

**A/N: Hey guys! It's meeee! I'm here with another update to thank y'all for being sooo amazing :D **

**KellyTheLovatic - Heheh I know right? ;D**

**Jullie - Ahhhh, you shall see this chapter ;)**

**Linx25 - Aww thank you! I got a little heart attack when you REVIEWED! Thank you so much - I love new reviewers! :D**

**TheDenise546 - Haha, I like peacocks xD **

**Now, be prepared. Because, being the total drama-lover I am, we have a whole lot more of it coming your way! Haha, yeah... I'm so mean to my characters :P Enjoy this lovely chapter! :D**

**Note:- A few small words of Spanish and Italian, because I couldn't resist :P I'm not Italian or Spanish or anything - I just love the languages. So, if needed, use Google translate! Whooooooo for Google translate! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 41 - Hiding Behind The Lies<strong>

Sonny's POV

"What do you think you're doing, huh?"

"…Gee, Tawni, nice to see you too."

Tawni storms up to me at the end of lunch. The cafeteria is pretty empty – only a few lingering people are around, and my cast, who's lunch break is finishing later due to a late starting time this morning. Oh, and Tawni, obviously. The rest of the Randoms, including Chad, have gone, but Tawni stayed – waiting for me, I suppose. When me and my cast started to leave she stepped up with a scowl on her face. At my reply, her scowl just deepens.

"Don't be sarcastic like that with me, Sonny." She snaps, "I just wanna get this done so that we never have to speak to each other again."

"Sounds like a plan." I agree cautiously, even though I know that that idea is impossible. Now I'm Chad's _girlfriend, _(heehee, yay) there's no way I'm gonna be able to completely avoid seeing and/or speaking to his friends.

Great. I mean, I may be sort-of willing to put the whole feud behind us (only for Chad, though) but what about them? And what about my cast? I know they won't be acceptant of the whole thing, so what happens then? Will Chad and I have to end up like Romeo and Juliet or something and have our whole relationship completely under wraps?

I know that idea's impossible too, though. Chad is determined to tell everyone the truth about us, and I suppose I'm kind of glad. If Romeo and Juliet's secrets lead them to their untimely deaths, then I'd rather we didn't take that path. Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be that dramatic. Maybe we wouldn't die, but there would be hell to pay if we did keep everything completely hushed and then someone found out.

But then again, I'm still worried. What if our confessions just make the feud even worse? What if our shocked and furious casts lost it and forced us to choose between them and each other? I know what my decision would be if that was the case, but Chad's? He loves his cast like they're his second family. Having to choose between us would tear him apart.

See, this is my whole point about the spotlight being too much pressure for me. If we were ordinary people, this whole thing would be so much easier. No press, no feuding casts, no pressure… just Chad and me, and nothing else could get in the way.

"So, what's the problem?" I ask, trying not to burn Tawni's short fuse. She raises an eyebrow at me, before poking a well-manicured index finger in my face. How nice.

"I saw you," she states, "I saw you makin' googly eyes at Chad. _Again_."

I gulp, "Again?" Uh oh.

"Again." She nods her head, and then her glare intensifies when she sees the confusion in my expression. "Oh, don't pretend like you've never done it before. This can't be news to you, Sonny… or are you just in denial?"

I blink, trying to act innocent. "About what?"

She smirks a little, folding her arms. She speaks, suddenly with a very calm voice, "About your unreturned feelings for my cast-mate."

I take a sharp intake of breath, which just seems to satisfy her.

"You know it's true, Sonny. You keep staring at him, flirting with him… my Tawni-senses can feel it."

I go to protest, but knowing that if I do I'll end up sounding like I _am_ in denial, I just fold my arms to match her stance, trying to not look intimidated.

"And what if I am, dear Tawni?" I ask. The smirk is wiped of her face and she scowls again; either disappointed that I didn't humour her with the satisfaction of seeing me in denial, or angry that I didn't protest – that I'm not denying what she is saying.

That I _do _like Chad.

"Just stay away from him." She spits in my face, "He's _our _cast member. Leave him alone and stop flirting with him."

Against my better judgement, I find myself smirking. Uh oh, this snobbish behaviour isn't gonna look too good when Chad and I finally speak out…

"Oh, Tawni." I pat her shoulder patronisingly. She flinches out of my reach, looking irritable. "That's so _cute_ that you think I'd listen to you!" I let out a short, arrogant laugh, and then wish I hadn't.

She grits her teeth angrily, "Leave. Him. _Alone_."

I click my tongue, "I'm not going anywhere."

And then, with an egoistic flick of the hair, I spin on my heels and leave her alone and fuming.

Whoops.

* * *

><p>"So, what was the Random girl talking to you about?" Marta asks me later when we're taking our afternoon break for The Falls. Us four girls – me, Marta, Portlyn, and Chastity, that is – are hanging out in my dressing room. Chastity helped me hide all evidence of Chad before the other two came in – pictures, presents, things like that. It's almost like Chad doesn't exist anymore – any evidence of him has been wiped off the face of the earth (aka hidden in Chastity's closet).<p>

I shrug at Marta's question, "She was talking to me about Ch- the blonde boy."

"The puppy-dog kid?" Port raises an eyebrow. I nod. The view of Chad, in the world of The Falls, is that of a little puppy – clingy and annoying, in Portlyn and Marta's case. For me, it's more loyal and adorable.

"She was being…" I shudder in true Falls-girl fashion, "Weird and _Random-ly_. Thought I had a crush on the kid." I give Chastity a smile to which she grins knowingly, before flicking my hair back, "_Pathetic_."

Rather than agreeing with me in that weird Falls-girl way, Portlyn and Marta just exchange a thoughtful, cautious look. Something alerts me to the fact that they seem faintly suspicious. I sharply intake a breath, pushing my bangs behind my ear with my hand.

Luckily, Chastity comes to my rescue, changing the subject. Unfortunately, Marta comes straight back to it after a few minutes.

"You wouldn't ever date a Random, would you?" She questions me. I gulp hard, unsure of what to reply with.

Fortunately, Chastity gives me a hand again.

"So what if she did?" She says, with a smile that suggests she's only joking, even though we both know that she isn't.

Portlyn shudders, almost like the thought of the Randoms sickens her, "If you dated… _that…_" I feel my fists clench protectively, "it would be _disgusting_. Totally vile. Think about it' the story of a mighty Falls girl, dating a pointless, puny little Random, and this story would be all over the press… it would be _awful!__"_

She makes a gagging noise, and I wish I could punch her little face in for it. But I just smile and nod. It's okay. I'll save the angry explosions for when I'm protecting Chad and myself tomorrow, when the news gets out.

"You can't seriously be saying that you'd be willing to date that Random, Sonny?" Marta says, raising her eyebrows. I find my eyes drop to my lap, unable to look her in the eyes. Annoying Falls girl or not, I can't lie to her.

"Of course she wouldn't!" Portlyn scoffs, "Imagine the press's uproar! _Enemies turned lovers? _C'mon, even Sonny Munroe wouldn't want that crap-load of attention." I tense up a little suddenly. I was thinking the exact same thing about the press and the 'crap-load' of attention Chad and I would be getting earlier. But, like Chad said… as long as have each other, we'll be fine.

Right?

Marta smirks along with Portlyn, "Yeah. Not to mention the awkwardness between our casts! I mean, can you imagine that? The Randoms would be so mad… not just them either! Sure, it would be fun to mess with the Randoms, but by _dating_ one of them?" She snorts at me, the spitting image of a pig, "Ha, even _you_ wouldn't be so stupid!"

I bite my lip, holding back spiteful words about how the two of them should shut the hell up. Instead, I get up out of my seat, straighten my denim skirt, and simply say, "Well, Sonny Munroe has been known to do stupid things."

And so, ushering Chastity to follow me, I leave the room, with the two remaining girls gaping at my back.

Portlyn's POV 

Sonny is up to something. I can feel it.

Watching her glance at the Random's table all lunch gets me thinking, but then when we're talking in her dressing room, _about _the Randoms – one Random in particular – she was acting totally weird.

Not convinced? C'mon, she was acting like she would actually _consider _dating a Random! I mean, what the heck?

So, of course, because Sonny's my, um, _friend_… Marta and I decide the only possible way to figure this out is to meddle in her life and figure out what the fudge **(I had to put that in :P) **is going on.

Because we're just that good friends. Obviously.

Exchanging a look, Marta and I follow Sonny and Chastity out of Sonny's room, looking around to try and, y'know, pick up her trail or somethin'. But the two of them seem to have mysteriously disappeared…

Skyler and Ferguson walk past at that second, and simultaneously, Marta and I pull one back each. Skyler whirls around and raises an eyebrow at me.

"Um… what's goin' on?" He asks, folding his arms.

"Did you guys see Sonny and Chas go this way?" Marta asks, still looking around for the two of them.

"Nope." Ferguson shrugs, "Why?"

"We think they're hiding something from us." Marta says blackly, pursing her lips together.

"Something like…?" Skyler blinks. I roll my eyes. Skyler can be so chilled in such serious situations! I slap him on the arm.

"This is serious business, Sky!" I tell him, ignoring his moans from where I hit him. Heehee, wuss. "We think that there's something going on between Sonny and… one of _the Randoms._" I shudder at the very thought of it. Our 'leader' having something potentially going on with a _Random_?

_Ew!_

Skyler's eyes narrow, and Ferguson rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"What exactly is going on between Sonny and a Random?" Ferguson asks.

"That's what we're tryna figure out!" Marta sighs, studying her nails, "But of course, Sonny and Chastity are being all annoying and secretive, as usual."

"Hmm." Ferguson murmurs, rather than agreeing. Ugh, the boys are so weird when it comes to stuff like this! Don't they see that this is a dire situation? Sonny will ruin our show's reputation if she gets involved with a filthy _Random! _It makes me _sick_ just to think about…

"You texted me?"

I suddenly hear Sonny's voice, and turn to the direction of her voice to see her shadow. She's standing around the corner, on the other end of the hallway. I gesture everyone else to shut the hell up, and creep closer to get a better earshot…

She is quiet, before she sighs. "I'm worried… Portlyn and Marta seemed a little suspicious… I suppose we won't have to hide it much longer…" _Hide? Oh my…_ "I just don't wanna make them mad…" _Oh, too _late_, Munroe_… "Anyway, let's talk about tonight! You got it planned?" She suddenly gasps, sounding so much happier. Oh, she won't be happy for long, after what I just heard… "The new pizzeria? Oh my gosh, I love you, man!" _I love you? Ugh_… "No, no, no. It's not cheap at all… it's perfect. Ha ha, you know me too well; you know I can't resist pizza! ...Okay. Love you. I'll see you then."

I peek around the corner of the hallway just to see her turn and walk off in the opposite direction, to the exit. I grimace menacingly at her back, hoping it'll make her explode or melt into a tiny puddle or something.

"So what happened?" Ferguson asks, ambling up to me, smiling. Ugh, I don't see how that guy can be so happy. He's like a less annoying, male version of Chastity. Too perky. Ew. But he's hot, so that's okay.

I watch Sonny skip out of the studio and scowl as Skyler and Marta join Ferguson by my side.

"Looks like we're going to that new Pizzeria tonight." I announce darkly.

Sonny's POV

I can hear Chad coming before I can see him. His car pulls up outside my house, and I look out of my window in my room, grinning when I see him. He looks out his car window, up at me, blowing me a cheesy kiss. I giggle, shaking my head, and he steps out of the car and makes his way to the front door.

I grab handbag, and fling it over my shoulder, before reaching for the door handle and making my way down the stairs to meet Chad.

The doorbell rings as I reach the top of the stairs, and I hear my mother's footsteps across the living room and to the front door.

"Oh, hello, Chad!" She gushes when she opens the door for him. I giggle quietly to myself as I make my way down the stairs. My mom has grown so fond of Chad in the last few weeks.

Tripping clumsily over my own feet halfway down the stairway, I catch myself blushing as Chad comes into sight. He gives my Mom a friendly smile as he steps through the door, before turning to look at me. I arrive at the bottom of the stairs, and Chad walks up and places a soft kiss on my cheek. At his touch, it feels like my face has been set on fire. Then, when Chad touches my hand and squeezes it tightly, it too feels warm, safe.

"Wanna get going?" He asks, "Cos, if so, your chariot awaits! It's no limo, but hey…"

I let out an overly-happy giggle clearing my throat afterwards to retain myself and my dignity, "I don't really care. As long as I'm with you."

Now it's Chad's turn to go red. His grin spreads across his face, and he turns back to my Mom. I almost forgot she was there.

"I'll have her back by ten." He promises, "Unless you want her back earlier…"

Mom beams, obviously proud of Chad's maturity for a sixteen year old boy. Most of the teenage guys in this town would wanna keep me all night long to get in my pants, in Mom's eyes. But not Chad.

"Ten will do fine." Mom says, waving us out of the door, "You two go have fun!"

* * *

><p>The pizzeria comes into view after a twenty minute drive, in a nice, quiet area of Hollywood. It's beautiful – not too tacky or cheap, but not too flashy and posh. It's perfect – like we're really in Italy. The walls are whitewashed, and the front of the restaurant is shaded with red, white, and green awning – traditionally Italian, of course. The largest window in the front of the restaurant has a sign alerting customers – <em>"La Luna Bella" <em>it reads, in fancy white font, as well as a painting of a full moon, painted on the inside of the window. Cars are parked all along the front, even though a sign shows that the pizzeria's parking lot is behind the restaurant. I find myself swallowing in slight terror.

It's packed.

Chad follows the sign to the back, parking his car neatly in a space that says "Reserved – VIP". He gets out of the car and circles it to help me out.

"M'lady." He greets me as he takes my hand, and I just giggle like a lunatic and blush. He then looks around for an entrance, grinning when he spots a door with a sign that reads "Employees Only".

"We can't go in there!" I hiss, pulling him back as he heads for the door. He just smiles.

"When I made the reservation, I told them that we'd want a little privacy." He explains, "So we're in the VIP room at the back. The guy told my that we had to enter through that door. There'll probably be a few other celebrities back there, but that doesn't matter, right? The public – more importantly, the paparazzi – won't be able to see us – the window separating the two sections is tinted. We can see them, but they can't see us."

"Oh. Cool! Well, then, lead the way, _señor_."

Chad chuckles, "_Señor_ is Spanish, _bella_."

I grin. At least I know what 'bella' means… "Whatever you say, _bello_."

Chad scoffs, "Me? _Bello_? No way. You're bella, _bella_."

"Just shut up and let's go." I smirk, "_Pazzo_."

"Only for you, _bella_." Chad laughs, kissing me on the head and wrapping an arm around my back, leading me to the door, "Only for you."

Chad's POV

"Here's your seat…" A redhead waitress leads us towards our seat – a small booth next to the window separating the VIP room from the front. She passes us our menus with a smile, "Sorry if we're a little slow – it's our opening night. Never thought we'd be so popular!"

She speaks a little more, thanking us for coming and commenting on how cute a couple we are, and when she leaves I get the chance to fully assess the situation.

So, hold up, let's think about this for a sec. I'm on a date, with Sonny Munroe, in the VIP room for the newest, hottest pizzeria in Hollywood? Somebody pinch me. I'm sitting across from Sonny, who looks like she could've just walked out of a red carpet event – and she's on a date with me? It's almost unbelievable.

Oddly, though, she seems a little spaced out – she keeps looking around at every other table in the room bar our own. There are random celebrities – some I recognise, some I don't – some of whom stop to glance over at us. They look shocked – well, why not? Two of Hollywood's biggest "enemies" on a date? It must be weird. Sonny doesn't seem to fond of the attention, either – hence her shifty glances towards each table.

And then, everything begins to spiral out of place.

It all begins when Sonny turns to look out of the window to the public side of the restaurant, and her face pretty much goes white.

"What's wrong?" I ask, and she swallows hard, refusing to speak. I turn to see what the problem is, but nothing out of the ordinary seems to be happening.

"N-never mind." Sonny stutters, her eyes shooting back down to the menu as she flips through the pages, sighing. Curious, but not wanting to bring up the question on such a happy occasion, I let her little freak-out slide. Of course, that has to be the moment when my phone starts to ring. I cringe, face-palming myself, but Sonny doesn't seem to care.

"Who's callin'?" She asks with an innocent smile. I laugh. Someone's calling and interrupting our date, and she's totally fine with it. She's so sweet.

I check the caller ID and groan. "Mom." I say to Sonny. "Well, so much for my lovely mother agreeing not to check up on me…"

Sonny grins, even though I can tell there's something going on that's still making her kind of shifty. Maybe she saw the paparazzi or something? Could that be why she's so jumpy about people watching us? I mean, I know Sonny agreed to airing our secret when the date was over, but she's still very insecure about this kind of thing…

Hmm.

"Don't worry about it, Chad." She says, waving me off in the direction of the bathroom, "Go tell Mommy you're okay."

I roll my eyes, "Great. So not only is the world gonna know about my secret love for you; they'll also know of the fact that I'm a closet Momma's Boy."

Sonny forces a laugh, and I blink. She almost seems like she wants me to hurry about and leave…

Once again; hmm.

So, once I've finished convincing my Mom that I'm fine and I'm sixteen and I don't need her to call and check if my date's going okay, I make my way out of the bathroom and take a glance at mine and Sonny's table, only to realise that…

Sonny is no longer there.

I exit the restaurant immediately in a frantic search for Sonny. What is she doing? Where did she go? Why did she leave? These are all questions I _have _to ask her – when I find her, that is. Although, something tells me that when I do find her, the questions won't sound as calm as they did in my head.

I catch Sonny, walking speedily away from the restaurant. Luckily, I'm faster, so I catch up to her easily. I whirl her around and she looks up at me with wide eyes.

"What's going on, Sonny?" I ask her, meaning to sound angry and instead sounding just upset. She frowns.

"Chad, you need to go away! We can't risk…"

"Can't risk what?" I ask, with a slightly angrier tone. Sonny opens her mouth to speak, but another voice intrudes.

"Well, well, well…"

I spin around and find my breath catch on the back of my throat when I see Sonny's cast staring at us (bar Chastity) – some with shock, some with a smirk, but _all _with traces of anger. Marta, stood in the front, steps forwards and scowls at us.

"If it isn't the secret little lovebirds."

And if ever there was a time where I just wish I could disappear into a hole in the floor, it would be now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooooohhhh! Another cliffy :P I'm so mean, I know, I'm sorry. But I have a plan for next chap and I'll start writing it asap!**

**So, what did you guys think? Like I said, this chap was full of drama with a little fluff thrown in the middle. :D Yay for random fluff in dramatic chapters! :P**

**Pleaseeeeee review! **

**Quack :P**

**~Amy x**


	43. Read All About It

**A/N: OMG I am so excited for this chapter, and the next one. I think it'll just be full of Channy drama and cuteness! :D**

**Yes, my lovely readers, you read right - drama. But I've had this planned for ages and I didn't want to change it. Anything else I thought of didn't feel right. Sooo... enjoy the drama me has planned! *claps***

**EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - Aw, hon, I could never hate you! And hey - better late than never! And I totally know what you mean - one of my best friends moved to America (I live in the UK) a few years ago and it was so heartbreaking :'( I'm thinking of you! As for the Sonny/Chad thing... that is something I should really explore in the epilogue! Not like that is close though, ohhhh no. I don't see this story ending for a while! *hopefully***

**Hermione's Quill 94 - OMG thank you for reviewing! I always love new reviewers, and you made me smile! :D Stay awesome x**

**Jullie - I hope your surgery went well hon! Stay safe! xxx**

**MacyZC55 - I think Tawni was just being that protective big sister figure. And maybe a little jealous too, who knows? ;P**

**CDCTheRandomWizard23 - Demi's intimate performance was AMAZING. Proof that the girl don't need no autotune or nothin' - just her voice :D #ProudLovatic.**

**Enjoy :) I don't own SWAC**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 42 - Read All About It<strong>

Sonny's POV

I wish I could be anywhere. Anywhere but here.

My cast keeps staring at me – Ferguson looks betrayed, Skyler looks taken aback, and the two girls look absolutely fuming. Chad grips my hand tightly, and I wish he hadn't when my cast's glares just get more intense, and snatch it away from him. He frowns when I do so, but I have bigger problems right now. I can apologise for ruining our date later.

"Well, hey, guys!" I say brightly to my cast, who just continue to glower at me, "What are you guys doin' here?"

"Cut the act, Munroe." Marta snaps, placing her hands on her hips, "We know what's going on here."

I watch her hiss at me, see my casts disapproving scowls and Chad's slightly ashamed frown, and I realise something.

I really, really don't want to tell this secret.

So I decide to open my mouth and let the lies pour out.

"I don't." I say, playing the innocent card. Marta bares her teeth at me, and Portlyn steps forward.

"You're on a _date,_" She spits, before pointing at Chad, who looks like he's going to break into a million pieces from shock and embarrassment, "with _him_." I wish I could punch her for treating Chad like crap, but of course, that would ruin the act. Instead, I raise my eyebrows at her and start to laugh, rather exaggeratedly.

"You… you think…" I turn back to face Chad, who looks dumbfounded and confused. I swallow hard. _Forgive me, Chad…_

"You think I'm on a date… with a _Random?" _I pull a face, "Um, _ew!"_

"Sonny," Chad's small voice comes from behind me, so quiet I don't think my cast can hear it, "what are you…"

"Oh yeah?" Skyler speaks up from the back, looking more upset than angry, "Then what _is_ going on?"

I rake a hand through my hair, coming up with my lie on the spot. "I got invited to the opening of this place," I explain, "and turns out, Chad did too. And my car broke down, and so I forced Chad to take me, because I was not gonna miss the opening of the hottest pizzeria in Hollywood! Even if it meant to driving in with a…" I shudder, quite proud of my little act, "a _Random." _

"Sonny, don't." Chad says, like the voice of my conscience. I stupidly decide to ignore him, like I've done so many times with the voice of my real conscience.

"Oh yeah?" Skyler says, his voice cracking challengingly, "Y'know, Sonny, your car seems to break down a lot. You know, for a car that costs more than an average person's _house_. And then, it seems, whenever this car _does_ break down, you seem to get a ride with _Chad._"

It makes me feel slightly better to hear Chad being referred to by one of my cast members by his name rather than that stupid little nickname, but still. It's obvious that Skyler is just as mad as everyone else. I find myself unable to answer his remark straight. I just scoff.

"You're just jealous that I got invited to the hottest new pizza place in town and you didn't."

Marta's eyes widen, "Sonny, stop talking bull-crap! Tell us the truth, or so help me…"

"I have!" I protest.

"She _hasn't_." Chad says gently from behind me. All eyes turn to him, including my own. I feel my chest tense up. I can't breath. _Please, Chad… don't…_

Chad heaves out a long sigh, gazing down at his feet for a few short moments. I can't hear anyone breathing – everyone's holding it, waiting for what Chad will say. He finally looks up, and exhales to speak.

"She's lying." He admits. I feel sick. "We're on a date. Or, we _were_."

With that, the uproar begins.

"You traitorous…" Marta growls.

"What the actual crap, girl?" Portlyn yells, while the boys in the back fold their arms and look like they could actually explode.

"He's kidding!" I say, desperate to get everyone to stop looking at us. Of course, it's this moment, when Marta and Portlyn start screaming at me and Chad, that a small herd of paparazzi and random onlookers come up to watch the little confrontation.

I close my eyes, terrified. I wish I could open them and just be alone, with Chad, but when I do so, all I see is the blinding flash from the cameras, and all I can hear is an incoherent jumble of questioning from the paparazzi. I watch, frozen, as each member of my cast give me one last look of disgust, before pushing past us. Skyler shoves Chad as he passes, making him stumble into a random person, but Chad doesn't seem to strongly affected. He's too busy gazing right at me, blue eyes filled with anguish and hurt. Ignoring the paparazzi screaming in his ear, he grabs my arm in his hand and pushes through the crowd to his car.

* * *

><p>Chad doesn't speak the whole ride home.<p>

And I know I messed up. Heck, of course I did.

And now Chad's hurt by what I did. I can tell. But I don't know how to make him feel better, because if I did, I would do it in a heartbeat. I hate seeing him so down.

"Well." I say as we pull into my street. The street is deserted – no-one will see us together. But right now, I really don't care. "That was eventful."

Chad doesn't say anything in response. He just sighs, pulling up outside my house. I bite my lip, really wishing I haven't blown it. Gosh, if I lose Chad because of this…

He cuts the engine and leans back in his seat, folding his arms. Waiting.

But what for?

"Um… Chad?" I say. He shuffles around in his seat uncomfortably.

"Why did you do it?" He asks, finally, turning his head to look out of the window. He sounds… disappointed. "Why did you just… just _lie_ to everyone?"

I swallow really hard, realising his problem. "I…" I frown, "I don't know."

"Hmm." He grunts, watching his feet for a minute, before looking up to me, "Well, I know." He huffs, "You were ashamed."

I blink, taking in his words, "Ashamed?" I repeat. "Wh-what do you…"

"You know exactly what I mean, Sonny." He snaps, before recollecting himself and sighing. He speaks again, this time with a much quieter voice. "You ran out of that restaurant because you were ashamed to be seen with me."

"…What?"

"Oh, don't act like it's not true, Sonny." He says forlornly, trying to scowl, but it just makes him look more upset. He looks down to his crutch, "You may not want it to be true, but somewhere inside you, there is a girl that is so insecure and so shallow, that she can't allow herself to be seen out on a date with me, all because I'm a Random."

I shake my head, trying not to lose it, "No, no, that's not true…"

"You lied, Sonny." He says, facing me. the pain is evident in his usually shimmering blue eyes, "You lied to your cast – your _friends. _You lied to the paparazzi… when the story gets out, you'll have lied to the entire world." He shakes his head disapprovingly, "All because you thought that being seen with me would change everything."

I hate seeing that look in his eye… "But I like things the way they are." I say quietly.

"I know you do." He replies, placing a hand to his face, "But I can't go on lying to the world anymore, because it's hurting people. It's wrong, Sonny. We could've confessed tonight… we could've told the paparazzi the truth, your cast the truth…"

"You said we'd wait 'til tomorrow." I say gently.

"It hardly makes a difference, Sonny!" Chad groans, raking a hand through his blonde, gelled-up, fancy new hair. And that was all done specially for tonight, wasn't it? I sigh, and so does Chad.

"Now… we don't know what the world knows about us." Chad says, almost inaudible, "I hate this, Sonny. I hate that we have to keep hiding from everyone!"

I don't say anything. Chad drops his hands into his lap. There is no noise, apart from random chatter from the houses around us. You could call it peaceful, if there wasn't this aching tension between us.

"Sonny." He speaks my name softly, "I need to know. you do love me, right?"

"Right…"

He nods, "I love you too." He says, "I… I really do. But, Sonny, if we're gonna be together, you need to get your priorities straight."

"My priorities?"

Chad sighs sombrely, "What's more important to you? Me? Or your reputation?"

"My… my reputation has nothing to do with this…"

"Oh, damn it, Sonny, why aren't you getting this?" He yells suddenly. It's scary to watch him yell like that – get angry. I don't like it.

The fury and frustration fades from his eyes again and he just frowns, heaving out another disappointed sigh, "You left that restaurant." He says in a contrastingly quiet voice, "Why?"

"I… I saw my cast."

He nods, "Exhibit A." He says solemnly, "You saw your cast and were worried that they'd see you with me, right?"

I nod soundlessly, done with arguing.

"And then you were trying to convince them, and the paparazzi, that we weren't on a date."

Another nod. Chad smiles sadly.

"I rest my case." He mumbles, resting his head in the palm of his hand, "Goodnight, Sonny."

My heart stops, "_Goodnight_? Are you breaking up with me?"

He shakes his head slowly, "But you need time to think. And so do I."

My windpipe closes. It is suddenly very hard to breathe. "You can't leave me." I just about manage.

"I won't," Chad promises, "but I'm not willing to hide a _whole_ relationship, and if you can't accept that, then…" He swallows loudly, "we're going to have some problems."

Realising that he needs some time alone, I open the car door to leave.

"Goodnight." I say.

He doesn't reply.

Chad's POV

"Chad!"

Mom calls me from downstairs. I huff, rolling over in my bed. I never wanna leave this bed again.

"Not now!" I moan, burying my face into my pillow. Wow. Do I sound like a whiny teenage girl or what?

"Chad, honey, is there something you want to talk about?" Mom shouts, her voice sounding closer than before, "You don't usually sleep in this late."

I force my eyes open and take a look at the clock.

11:36am.

Well, I'm gonna be late for work. Heck, I'm already late for work. I don't know if I care right now though.

"I'm fine!" I say, but my voice sounds kind of sore. "I just need to sleep for the next few… years, maybe?"

Mom chuckles, the sound of her voice only just outside my door, "I think I know what's going on here." She says sympathetically.

"No you don't." I shoot back. Okay, I really sound whiny now. The door makes a creaking sound and Mom's head peaks around it. she gives me a small smile, and playing the role of the stroppy teenager, I roll over in my bed to face the wall. I hear her footsteps come up to my side, and feel a hand rest on my shoulder.

"Did you sleep well?"

I nod into the pillow.

"So… are you going to tell me what happened last night?"

It's this moment when my phone explodes with sound. Groaning, I reach for the phone on my bedside table, rub my eyes, and answer it.

"CHAD DYLAN COOPER!" An enraged female voice screams at me on the other end. "You get your butt down here NOW!"

I gulp, worried and alarmed by her tone, "Tawni, I'm sorry, I know I'm late…"

"We have bigger problems." She spits, "Problems like what's the leading story on Tween Weekly online…"

I blink, "Which is?" I ask, even though I have a gut-wrenching feeling that I know the answer.

* * *

><p>I get into work about fifty minutes later. I run onto the So Random stage, but the only other person in the room is Marshall. He shakes his head disapprovingly at my lateness. I give him an apologetic frown.<p>

"Don't let it happen again, Chad." He says sternly, and I nod in understanding. "The others are on break, in the Prop House." He adds, nodding towards the door. "I think they're waiting for you. Rehearsals start in an hour. Make sure you're here for then, or Mr Condor will have to be informed of this."

I grimace, "I will be here." I promise, heading towards the door that leads to the Prop House with a sick feeling in my gut about what's gonna happen when I get there…

* * *

><p>"Explain." Tawni shoves her pink laptop in my face the second I step through the door. Stumbling back a little, startled, I'm confronted with this big news…<p>

_Biggest Rivals…? Don't Be Too Sure…_

I scan through the article, which talks about how Sonny and I were on a date last night, but denied it afterwards, and ends with two pictures – one of Sonny and I when we first entered the restaurant – excited, happy – and the second of us being surrounded by the paparazzi and Sonny's cast. The picture makes Sonny look slightly crazed as she tries to convince our audience that we're not on a date, and I'm just stood in the back of the photo, looking disappointed.

Tawni pulls the laptop away from me, and I'm faced with my four angry-looking cast-mates. I bite my lip, knowing that this isn't going to go well.

"Um…" I rub the back of my neck, "I guess there's no hiding that."

"No." Zora says dryly, "No, there isn't."

"Care to explain to us exactly what this is?" Tawni asks, prodding her finger on the screen at the two pictures. Realising that there's no easy way around this, and not wanting to lie to my friends anymore, I exhale, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"Last night, Sonny and I… we kind of went out."

"On a date." Tawni states gritting her teeth together. I nod slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I… I wanted to tell you…"

"Then why didn't you?" Grady asks, looking particularly red in the face.

"Sonny was scared."

Each person's eyes widen at my statement. "Oh, so it's all about Sonny now?" Tawni scoffs, "Everything you do has to be run past your _precious_ little girlfriend?"

I bite my lip, unable to answer the question because my mouth seems particularly dry. I lick my lips, but it doesn't help.

"Guys. I'm really sorry…"

"We don't wanna hear it." Nico says, folding his arms. Zora and Grady copy his stance, obviously as a gesture of agreement.

"It… it was just a date."

"No. It's more than that." Zora says darkly. I tense up as I realise that she knows more than the others do. "There's more to you two than that, isn't there?"

I gulp, kicking the ground below my feet. "Well, yeah…"

"So tell them." She says, stepping forwards, "Cos this secret has gone way too far. Tell them, or I will."

I let my gaze fall on each face of my cast – my friends – and suddenly hate myself for being such a liar, a traitor, a coward… to some of the most important people in the world to me. I close my eyes, wishing hopelessly that this is all some crazy nightmare.

"Sonny and I have been… friends, for quite a while now." I hear everyone's horrified gasps and curse myself mentally. I can feel Zora's gaze on me, telling me to go on. "No, wait – more than that. We've been best friends… for at least, um, three months."

I riskily open my eyes and take in the fury in everybody's eyes that hits me like a bulldozer. Especially Tawni, who looks like she could explode.

"I know you guys probably hate me right now, but just listen-"

"No, Chad. _You_ listen." Tawni snaps, "We thought you were our friend. But no. you betrayed us."

"You lied to us." Nico adds with a frown.

"I know I did, and I'm really, really sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't fix everything, buddy." Zora says. Even Zora hates me now. Zora, the one who was keeping my secret before, has turned on me. How could I be so horrible that I could hide such a big secret from my friends for so long? How could I be such a jerk?"

"Hey!"

Just when I think nothing could make this worse, a cheery voice enters the room, adding even more tension to the atmosphere. Especially since that voice belongs to none other than Sonny Munroe herself. When I see her, I'm hit with so many emotions – love, relief, anger, confusion, shock, God knows what else – that they almost knock me over.

Sonny, noticing that she is unwelcome, ignores the Randoms and turns to me.

"Chad! Oh my gosh, wasn't that opening night last night awesome? I'm so glad that they invited me… even though I had to go with _you_… the pizza was still totes delicious!"

My eyebrows raise. Is she _still_ keeping up this charade, after everything?

"How would you know, Sonny?" I ask, my mouth feeing dry as a bone, like I have a whole load of sand on my tongue. "You didn't even stay for the pizza. You _left. _Remember?" Sighing, Sonny gives me an apologetic frown. I don't know whether to just forgive and hug her on the spot, or hold a grudge on her for being so secretive about everything.

"Um, _hello_?"

Sonny turns to look at Tawni, and the rest of my cast, forming a small circle around her.

Like they're going to attack.

The room is silent. Tense. Anger is evident in the air.

Tawni is the first to move. She takes a few small steps towards Sonny, stopping right in front of her. No-one speaks; we all just watch the two girls. Tawni clenches her fists together and they shake, and Sonny's cheeks bulge from where she's biting her mouth, trying not to speak and blow a fuse.

And then, Tawni lifts one hand up in the air, and swings it at Sonny's cheek, making a horrible clapping sound as it hits it. Sonny flinches back, holding her cheek where she was hit. My jaw drops open in horror.

The others take this as their cue to start yelling. Above it all, I can only hear the two voices of Tawni and Sonny.

"How DARE you?" Tawni screams, sounding slightly hysteric. "How _dare_ you steal something from us _again_!"

Sonny looks to me frantically, as if to ask for help. I don't know whether to or not. I can't choose sides right now, Tawni would go mental…

"I- I didn't steal him..."

"He was on a date with you!" Tawni yells, "You stole him away! You made him lie to us! His friends! You took our Chad and turned him into your personal little audience-of-one so you could have someone to applaud at everything you say! Well, show's over! Give. Him. _Back_."

Sonny's eyes darken. She looks to me with a small frown. "But I love him."

The room falls silent.

"_We_ love him more." Tawni insists, glaring at Sonny hatefully. "He's _our_ cast-mate. He's _our friend_."

"He's my _best_ friend." Sonny points out gently, "He's..."

"He's _ours_."

"He's not a _trophy_!" Sonny shouts, finally losing it, "He has his own brain! He knows what he wants!"

"Well, then..." Tawni exits the circle, arms folded, and walks up to me. "Why don't we let him decide?"

Oh no.

"Yeah!" The rest of the Randoms agree with Tawni immediately. Me, on the other hand...

Not so much.

"Guys, I don't wanna do that..."

"Of course." Tawni says spitefully, placing her hands on her hips. "I think it's obvious who you'd choose, anyway..."

Nico and Grady make sounds of agreement, while Zora just stares me down, looking disappointed.

"Please, don't make me choose… you guys are my friends, you know I wouldn't ditch you."

"But… you can't ditch Munroe, either?" Nico asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Because she's my friend too."

A sharp sound of a gasp comes from both Sonny and the cast's direction. Tawni spins around on her heels and leaves, and Nico, Grady, and Zora, giving me one last livid glare, turn and follow her out. Sonny walks up to me, and I watch as she looks down to Tawni's laptop, where the pictures of us still show up on the screen.

"Wow." She says, kneeling down so that her eyes are level with the screen. "What a mess."

I sigh, bending down next to her. "Yup."

The air between us is silent, awkward. I don't know what to make of it. Are we good? Are we friends? Are we a couple?

"Well…" Sonny mumbles, playing with her fingers. She scans through the article, her tongue sticking out in concentration, before she nods a small nod.

"We're gonna have to find some way to cover this up." She says.

…

I blink. "Cover this up?"

"The story." Sonny explains, "I mean, we can't have this online or people will start to get suspicious. I've tried to explain to my cast that it was all just a huge mix up, and all we need to do is tell Tween Weekly the same thing, and then…"

I let Sonny just ramble on, lost in my own thoughts. She _still _wants everything hidden? _Seriously_? After what _just_ went down?

"…Chad? Hello?" Sonny waves a hand in front of my face. "You still there?"

"_Yup_." I say, popping the 'p', staring into the distance, trying to grab hold of the situation. When I do, I stand up suddenly and find a scowl fixes itself on my face. Sonny gets up too, looking at me curiously.

"I'm just _swell._"

"Chad-"

"Scratch that, actually. I'm done with lying." I place my palm on my face, pacing a little, up and down, listening to Sonny follow behind. I pause at the doorway, heaving out a long sigh.

"I'm not okay." I admit, "I don't get it, Sonny."

I turn around to face Sonny, and she is frowning, confused. "I don't get it, either, Chad. What are you…?"

"After everything that just happened with the Randoms, you still want to keep everything a secret?"

"The Randoms are what make me _want _to keep it a secret." She says with a shrug, "Well, them and everyone else. I… I knew this would be a stupid idea, telling everyone!"

I feel a pang deep in my chest. The feeling of resentment, maybe?

"Oh, so you'd rather keep one massive secret from _the whole world?" _I ask, my words sounding quite mad. I run my hand through my hair and Sonny's eyes widen.

"After this reaction from everyone, yes!" Sonny shouts, "I mean, my cast are furious – your cast are _twice _as furious. The paparazzi have made it into this massive leading story, and I'm terrified…"

I snort. "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you terrified?" I cross my arms across my chest, taking an intimidating stance, "Is it because you think your precious little reputation is at stake?"

Sonny groans, "Oh, don't make this stupid little thing about my reputation…"

"It's not stupid, Sonny!" I find myself yelling now, "And you know it's about your reputation! You're just scared of what people will think of you dating a Random! Is that right?"

Sonny gapes at me for a moment, before dropping her eyes to the ground and kicking her feet against the floor. "Maybe…" She mumbles.

"Mmm. That's what I thought." I say in monotone, before turning and walking out of the Prop House, trying to keep my head held high, with a weird sensation stinging in my eyes.

Sonny's POV

Chad storms out of the Prop House, leaving me. Again.

Only this time, it's really and truly my fault.

I've pushed him away. I've upset him, not the other way around.

It's _my _fault.

And now all I can think about is how I can make things right, and get him back...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Awwww... sorry for the sadness of that chap. Stupid casts, right? *fangirl voice* Leave. Channy. ALONE!**

**Heehee. So, um, review. Because I have a plan for next chapter, so all I need is your motivation! Please? **

**I love you, my little ducklings! ;D**

**~Amy x**


	44. A Cast Divided

**A/N: OMW this took so long! I really apologise. But this week I've just been so busy - I've had four exams this week, and so I've just been revising and writing and I haven't had a chance to properly finish this until now. I'm gonna do some more revising later, cos I still have 3 exams left next week... wish me luck!**

**But, hey, I'm back with the chapter! :D**

**Honestly, this chapter is only, like, half of what I wanted it to be, but that's only because I took a look at the word count and thought that if I carried on, this chapter was gonna end up being far too long. So I decided to split it into two so that a) that didn't happen, and b) I'd actually have a plan for next chapter so it'll be up soon, and c) I really wanted to just update already!**

***phew* Rant over...**

**swac twilight14 - Haha commercial break over! ;)**

**Linx25 - OMD Thank you so much :)**

**Jullie - I'm glad to hear that your surgery went well :) **

**Dedication to MrB.o.B1990. Hope this brightens your day! It's also dedicated to all y'all for getting me to 18 reviews last chapter! Notice how close we are to 700? ;) Only 27 away! ****:D**

**Overly long A/N over... enjoy the chap!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 43 - A Cast Divided<strong>

Chad's POV

I don't see my cast again for the rest of lunch break. Why would I even want to? I betrayed them, in their eyes. I kept a deep, dark secret which hurt each and every one of them, and that was so, so wrong. Friends don't keep secrets on such a large magnitude. They just _don't_.

So why did I?

For the fifty or so minutes I'm alone in my dressing room, lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, I try to come up with some kind of hypothesis on how this all started. On why I lied to my friends and kept secrets from them for a whole three or four months.

At the start, the blame is totally that of my own. Well, just think about it - I've been such a sad, pathetic coward, that I didn't want anyone to know about Sonny and her issues and her friendship with me. I was being over-protective - one could label it _selfish_. I didn't want Sonny to... I suppose, _belong_ to anyone else. I wanted her and our friendship all to myself.

I know that it sounds stupid, but it's literally gone so far that I can say that living without Sonny would be worthless. And heck, I know that's not true - I have my cast-mates, who, no matter how much they may hate me now, I will value dearly for the rest of my life. I have my Mom - my amazing mother - I have my whole family back in Wisconsin, not to mention those three Wisconsinite morons I call my buddies, and even my fans, who hopefully won't leave me when this story gets out.

But still, whenever I'm not around Sonny, I get that odd sensation in my gut that basically says that I wish she was there. Being without Sonny would literally someday drive me to insanity.

This friendship thing all started so that I could keep Sonny safe, give her a friend, give her a purpose. But now, I feel like I need her just as much as she needs me.

And that frightens me, because I shouldn't be so weak. I'm supposed to be the rock in this relationship, right?

Wrong. Oh so wrong...

I let my mind wander back to why Sonny and I decided to keep the secret in the first place. We were scared - scared that word would get out, the paparazzi would go crazy, our casts would each commit homicides, or at least scream in our faces and tell us that they never wanted to see us again.

Well, judging by my cast's livid stares before, they aren't really my biggest fans anymore. And who knows? They could be planning my murder right now, as we speak...

I roll my eyes, ignoring my pessimistic suggestions and going back over the situation, assessing it. So I suppose I'm partly to blame for all this - sadly, so is Sonny. We're being so cowardly, so worried about what other people think of us, and well - who cares? It's our relationship, right? Why should it matter what other people think?

I know why. Because we're famous and we have fans and those fans look up to us, and the press literally has the power to chase all those fans away with one single blog post, article in a magazine, TV news bulletin.

The media can destroy people like me, like Sonny, all in a few tiny seconds.

But I can't put all the blame on myself, Sonny, and the press, because to be honest, I've had a few messages from fans since this morning about how cute Sonny and I look together, so it's obvious that not everyone would have such a negative viewpoint as the casts if we publicly got together...

Then it hits me.

Our casts.

We've been so busy trying to please them, we've been completely ignoring our own wants, our own feelings. Since that very first day, when Sonny confessed everything and we became best friends, we've been persistent on making sure that our casts would never found out, so we wouldn't have to deal with exactly what we're dealing with now.

Looking back, it wasn't a stupid idea. Not completely, anyway. But the fact that we've been lying and lying and _lying_ to our casts for months only hit me the other day, and now I don't know how I'm supposed to earn back the trust of those guys; after all, I have been keeping this huge secret from them for so, so long now. And I'm still the 'new guy', however close I've got to the Randoms. They're like a family, and all this time I've been trying to prove that I am part of this family. But would they let a betrayal like this slide? Probably not. To be frank, I wouldn't be surprised if they never spoke to me again, after all this is over.

I just don't understand it - the feud, I mean. It's just... _pointless_ - if we didn't have it, my cast would probably be congratulating me for getting a date with _the_ Sonny Munroe.

Oh, what a perfect world that would be...

* * *

><p>I walk into rehearsals on the dot, not wanting to anger Marshall. I've already thrown my relationship with four people in this room into turmoil. I don't wanna upset Marshall too, or I really will be<em> job<em>less as well as friendless. The Randoms don't seem as happy to see me as they usually would, that's for sure.

"Hey, guys." I say as I approach, giving them a small, friendly wave. No-one really replies – I get small nods from Nico and Grady and a half-smile from Zora, but that's it. Tawni pretty much pretends I'm not even there, and continues whispering something in Nico's ear.

Marshall thanks us for all arriving in time, and we get straight into rehearsals.

I'll be honest, it's not the best rehearsal ever, to be honest, and I swear Tawni is the most immature person I've ever met. A couple of times where I mess up on a line, she rolls her eyes, whispering to one of the nearby cast mates. By the end of it, I'm pretty much fed up with her.

Rehearsals end, and Tawni leaves the room immediately. I'm kind of glad. I know that when we next speak, there will be hell. I don't want that to be now. I've enough fights today and yesterday to last me a good few years.

The rest of the cast form a small circle, shutting me out (purposely or not, I don't know). I sigh, making my way off of the stage and back to my dressing room. Marshall stops me at the last second.

"Everything okay, kiddo?" He asks kindly. I shake my head.

"I think those guys hate me right now."

Marshall frowns, "The Sonny incident?" I give him a small nod, and he sighs. "You kids and your rivalries... I knew this thing would get out of hand, someday."

I shove my hands in my pockets, looking down, "So did I."

He gives me a sympathetic look. "Just... don't worry about it, for now." Marshall says, looking past me to Nico, Grady and Zora, "They'll come around in the end. They care about you."

I follow his gaze to see my friends, "I just hope you're right."

Marshall shrugs, "I've known those kids for a long time. They can be childish, but they'll come around. I, for one, don't see the problem. Your two casts aren't even similar. There's no need for this rivalry anymore - everyone's just too busy holding a grudge that they can't swallow their pride and just live with it."

I give Marshall a warm smile. At least there's one person in this set who at least understands and agrees that the rivalry is pathetic. And Marshall may be a bit jumpy and a little too close to his mother, but he's part of this family too. He's got a good heart.

"See you later, Marshall." I say, mock saluting, before heading back to my dressing room.

Sonny's POV

My immediate welcome that morning is a bunch of angry glares from my cast. Aw, how sweet of them.

Not.

"Well, good morning to you, my lovely cast members!" I say sweetly, just to get on their nerves. Yeah, so I'm being mean. Sue me. Their glares just intensify.

We didn't have rehearsals yesterday, which meant I had a day to let these guys cool down. The annoying thing is they just seem to have been storing up all their anger ready for this moment.

Damn. Well, that's a waste of a day.

"You guys are still mad at me, aren't you?"

Portlyn and Marta step forward. I notice Skyler and Ferguson behind them with their arms folded, but with softer expressions than the girls. Chastity is stood right in the back, giving me a soft, apologetic look. I nod in her direction, telling her that it's okay. It's not her fault that they know; it's _mine._

"Heck, yes, we're mad." Portlyn snaps.

"How _dare_ you?" Marta adds heatedly, placing her well-manicured hands on her hips as Portlyn folds her arms. They look so fuming I can barely form a sentence. Normally, they don't scare me, but now… heck, I'm on the edge. You can't blame me.

"Dare- dare I _what?"_ I ask, sounding all-too-innocent. Like I'm messing with them.

"_Dare I what_?" Portlyn scoffs while Marta gives out a laugh similar to that of a donkey.

"You know _dare you what_; the you-know-what with you-know-who, that's what!"

It probably doesn't help my case any when I stare blankly at the certifiably insane girls stood in front of me. They growl and stalk away, each with a synchronised flip of the hair, leaving me with Skyler, Ferguson, and Chastity – the more tolerable half of the Falls cast. Honestly, they're not all so bad – you all know that Chastity's a sweetheart. Ferguson and Skyler are much kinder than Marta and Portlyn too (obviously). Skyler may have a little ego, but he has a good heart, and Ferguson's like the male version of Chastity, only he doesn't squeal as much. They're decent guys.

But that doesn't mean they're gonna go lightly on me for dating a Random.

Does it?

Chastity pouts, before skidding towards me and giving me a long hug.

"Aw, honey!" She coos sadly, "I saw the story on _Tween Weekly_!"

"We _all_ did." Skyler adds sternly, arms folded.

"It's soooo sad!" Chastity adds with a squeal, "Why did you tell the paparazzi that you weren't dating Chad?"

I just shrug.

"Moreover, why didn't you tell _us_ about it?" Ferguson asks. I shrug again, lightly pushing Chastity off of my arm.

"C'mon, Sonny," Skyler moans, "we're your cast. Sure, we're not all the best of friends, but you didn't have to lie to us like that. Why did you do it?"

"Because I knew that you guys would react badly." I say finally, in a shy, quiet tone that contradicts what I was aiming for. "And, what do you know. You did."

"Because we were shocked." Skyler explains, raking a hand through his light-brown, gelled hair. "Not because of the date-"

"Although it was a little surprising to see." Ferguson cuts in.

"Yeah." Skyler nods, "Portlyn and Marta were a little suspicious of you two. We didn't believe them, really, until we saw you with the guy… you can't really blame us for being overwhelmed."

"And, to make it worse, you continued the act, even after everything was clear as day!" Ferguson frowns, "Why'd you do that?"

I bite my lip, "Honestly? I wish I knew myself."

Chastity sighs overdramatically. "This is sooooo _tragic!"_ She sobs, placing a delicate hand on her forehead. I can't help but laugh. Chastity is a Falls girl for one reason – her acting. She doesn't really fit in with the snobby Falls kids – she'd be better suited to the Randoms – but her ability to be so dramatic at even the silliest of things keeps her from getting bored and walking out. "It's like Shakespeare! '_My only love, sprung from my only hate'_, and all that stuff!" **(Haha, that line came from my studying of Romeo and Juliet in English. Obviously, I don't own :P)**

"So, wait a minute, hold up…" I backtrack, "Are you guys actually saying that…" I smile at my last words, "you don't mind?"

I'm met with small, friendly smiles.

"I mean, sure, it's a little annoying how he's a Random and stuff…" Skyler shrugs.

"But Chad sure doesn't seem like a bad guy." Ferguson goes on, grinning a little "Besides, Chastity told us about how you two are, like, _best buds._"

I can't help but snicker a little. I'd known, straight from the beginning, that Chastity would blab about mine and Chad's friendship one day. I suppose I'm kind of grateful for it though - at least Skyler and Ferguson won't now think that everything that's happening with me and Chad is all weird and sudden.

"The point is, don't worry about it." Ferguson says with a kind smile, "We just want you to be happy."

"Yeah," Skyler grins, pushing a few loose, non-gelled strands of hair back with his hand, "But, uh, the girls may be harder to convince. But don't worry about 'em - they care more about themselves than you. They'll get over it."

I sigh, "I just hope we can say the same for the Randoms."

Skyler rolls his eyes, "Since when did you care about the Randoms?"

"Since they were one of the reasons that Chad and I fought."

Chastity gasps, clasping a hand where her heart is, "You two fought?"

"Yeah..." I say miserably, "It was kinda my fault - I somehow made Chad think that I don't wanna be seen with him, that I'm embarrassed to be with him. I didn't mean for it to seem that way, but Chad isn't the strongest he's ever been right now. I probably struck a nerve - a big one, that is. He seemed so upset when I last saw him."

"Aww!" Chastity wails, "That's sooo sad!"

Not very surprisingly, Chastity's whining doesn't make me feel any better. I collapse down onto the nearest leather couch. Chastity plops down next to me, Skyler leans against the coffee table, and Ferguson sits on the arm of the couch.

"So..." Skyler sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, "What are you gonna do?"

"I know what she's gonna do!" Chastity yells triumphantly, "She's gonna get her ass down to So Random and she's gonna apologise to Chad and ask him to take her back not take no for an answer!"

Ignoring Chastity's use of a curse (even though it's enormously entertaining, coming from her), I bite my lip, "I dunno. The Randoms would kill me if they saw me in their set, and Chad probably doesn't want to see me either."

"Oh." Chastity frowns, sinking back into the couch.

"Yeah." I mumble, "I called Chad, like, five times last night, and twice this morning. He wouldn't pick up."

"D'you want me to go see him?" Chas offers. I shake my head.

"I think he needs his space right now."

"I suppose so." Chas shrugs, "But when you wanna try again, call me. I wanna help you with some amazing plan to get him back!"

I chuckle softly, "Sounds like a plan, Chas!"

She gives me a warm, friendly smile, and so do the boys. It's nice to see that they're on my side.

"Just… don't worry about it for now." Chas says gently, giving me a warm smile, "We'll figure this out." She then suddenly grins hugely, jumping out of the seat and putting her hands on her hips confidently. "Now who's ready for some shootin'?"

* * *

><p>Shooting finishes pretty quickly, despite all the death looks and rude remarks shot my way by the Trouble Twins. (Okay, so they're not twins, but they so could be.)<p>

Whenever we have to take a pause so Dan the director **(lol alliteration :P) **can check the footage or something, nine times out of ten I find a nasty comment or sharp remark shot my way by one of the two. I could just about tear their heads off, if it wasn't for the better half of the Falls cast. One time, when Marta purposely bumps into me and calls me a freak and I begin to plan homicide in my head, Skyler comes over to help me up while he whispers;

"Says _her_."

The two of us then just dissolve into chuckles. It's great to have the better half of the Falls cast on my side.

When shooting ends, Chastity and I agree to go to my dressing room to think about this Chad thing, but we're stopped by the queens of mean themselves.

Lovely.

"Where're you two goin', huh?" Marta asks, her voice dripping with fake kindness, real spite. Bitch.

"To my dressing room." I say slowly, like she's a third-grader, "It is a free country, Marta. We can go wherever we want when we're not shooting, you know?"

Marta shakes her head at me resentfully, and Portlyn decides to step in. "Oh, you're not going anywhere without telling us why you're going."

"She doesn't have to tell you." Chastity says in a semi-quiet voice, but I cut her off.

"We're going to talk about Chad." I say. Might as well stop with all the secrets now, if I'm that desperate to get Chad back. The two of them snort, and it sounds almost pig-like.

"What about? That you wanna give him a second try?" Marta laughs, a real pig-snort popping out, "Why would you want to? Sure, he's hot now, but he's a Random." She flicks her hair. I berate her for being so superficial to only think of Chad as 'hot' now his hair's a little more gelled. Need I repeat? Bitch.

"Yeah." Portlyn says, folding her arms casually, "You may think he's okay, Sonny, but he's really just the scum of the earth."

"Oh, man alive, will you two just stop?" Chastity's usually tiny voice explodes from beside me. The girls' eyes suddenly widen with something somewhat close to total bafflement, and a little horror. I find myself grinning hugely as Chas continues to stand up for me and Chad. "Seriously, just get off your high horses, stop acting all _better-than-thou,_ because, honestly, you're no better than any Random! Let alone Chad! Chad is sweet and kind and he loves Sonny, and she loves him. So just... shut up and stop being complete bitches!"

The room falls silent at Chastity's use of a curse. Everyone gapes at Chastity for a second before carrying on with their jobs. Skyler and Ferguson glance up from their scripts, and Skyler whistles.

"Amen, Chas." He says, with Ferguson nodding approvingly. Chastity smiles gently, looking like her old shy, friendly, sweet self again. I giggle, locking her arm in mine and shooting the other girls a smirk, before skipping off with Chastity by my side.

And so, after our hilarious run-in with those divas, Chastity and I enter my dressing room and sink down onto the leather couch with synchronised sigh. Chastity, who is holding her phone, tosses it from one hand to the other, sticking her tongue out in thought.

"What we need…" She muses, "…is some huge adorable show of affection! Like they do in the movies!"

I chuckle inaudibly, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. Chastity's such a… _love_ lover. Ha ha.

"And what do you mean by _show of affection?_" I ask. She pulls a thinking face, before fixing her gaze down on her phone. She prods her finger at the screen a couple of times; I guess she's searching for something.

"Chas, what are you-" She shoves a finger in my face before I can finish my question.

"No talk-y. Just wait-y."

I stare at her incredulously. _Wait-y?_ Strange girl…

After a few more seconds of Chas tapping on the screen of her phone, she finally smiles in satisfaction and throws the phone into my lap. The screen is showing a small, fuzzy video, and the audio is of a guy singing. I recognise the scene immediately though.

"Why did you film Chad singing_ Give Your Heart A Break_ to me?" I ask her dubiously, raising an eyebrow. She scoffs.

"Because it was adorable." She says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "And it's also part of my master plan! You're gonna sing to Chad 'cos it'll be adorable, and it's, like, your return song to him! It'll be soooo _cute!_"

I sigh exasperatedly. "Chas, I appreciate the idea, but really – what am I supposed to sing? I mean, I can't go and sing some lovey-dovey song and expect him to take me back. This is real life, you know; not a love story." **(Har de har, the irony :P)**

Chastity sighs disappointedly, slumping her hands into her lap, before perking up again almost immediately. "Do you write songs?"

"No." I lie.

"Yes." She smirks, "C'mon, Sonny; you're an awful liar."

I huff. This girl is so persistent. "Fine, I do write songs. I've just never been really comfortable showing them to people." I hate how suddenly shy I sound. Chastity gasps, clasping a hand to her heart.

"Even me?"

I roll my eyes, bumping Chastity playfully with my shoulder. "Especially you. Little Miss Gossip."

Chastity laughs, flipping her hair back, "That's m'name – don't wear it out!" She giggles, before pulling her 'serious' (ha) face again. "Right, so, back to business… you could write a song, that expresses your total emotion… to tell Chad that you're not embarrassed by him and you totally want him back!" Her eyes suddenly widen, "Oh, and I have another idea!"

"What?"

She grins, "You could perform it on TV or something!"

My shoulders tense, "No."

Chastity groans, "See, this is exactly why Chad's thinking how he's thinking! You're too embarrassed to confess your undying love!" She gets up and heads for the door, frustrated. I would roll my eyes again, if I wasn't so ashamed of myself. Chastity has a point. I just can't seem to get over all these stupid insecurities, can I?

"What if…" I take a deep breath as Chastity reaches the door. She pauses as I speak, "What if I performed on So Random?" I suggest shyly, "I mean, there's no way Chad would miss that, and it would be the perfect public announcement..."

Chastity turns around slowly, a huge grin on face. She runs up to me and grabs my hands, jumping up and down.

"Oh my gosh, this is gonna be soooo much fun!" She squeals. I can't help but squeal along with her.

"But we can't let Chad or the Randoms or anyone know if Marshall does let me perform on the show." I say in a calmer tone, "We need to keep it a total secret – I mean it." I say sternly as she moans. "Not even Skyler or Ferguson. Got it?"

"Got it." She mumbles grumpily, before perking up again, "So, here's what we're gonna do…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Apologies for the couple of curses in there. They were necessary, of course :P**

**So, this is it, ladies and gentlemen - my song is gonna be in the next chapter! *party blower* I'm actually kind of excited! :D**

**And now I'm gonna go work on Double Life and see if I can get that up! Sooo, peace out suckers!**

**PS: Reviews are welcomed :P**

**~Amy x**


	45. Sing Your Praises

**A/N: Oh my gosh. Guys, I totally need to apologise to you, but before I do... Have you guys, like, seen the review count? Since the last chapter, I have got 43 reviews! That is absolutely incredible! Thank you all, so, so much! :D **

**And, by the way, I totally apologise for not updating in a whole MONTH. Like, seriously, it's been exactly a month, and I'm very sorry. I've just been crud with this story, and wrote, like, only the first 700 words in three weeks. :/ But do you know what day it is today? It's Quite The Opposite's anniversary! YAYYYYY! :D Which is why I decided that it was finally time to kick my ass into shape and get this thing up! So here it is ;D**

**Shout-out to **PancakeWonderz** for twenty of those 43 reviews! ;D**

**keshafever - I get it ;D**

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance, but I do own the song that features in this episode. It's called **What Have I Done?** I hope you guys like it! :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 44 - Sing Your Praises<strong>

Chad's POV

Thursday's a bad day. A really, really bad day.

The moment I step through the doors to rehearsal, the tension in the room can only be described as thick and unstable. Like, anything you say or do could and probably _will_ set off the bomb.

My four fellow cast members are all in the middle of the room, in a small, compact circle, and Tawni (surprise, surprise) is the centre of it all. Her cold blue eyes meet mine as the door loudly swings shut and they narrow.

"Chad's here." She announces dully, and straight away the heads of my other three cast mates whirl around to face me. I close my eyes and count to three in my head, before ambling up to the cast.

"What's up, guys?" I ask them friendlily, my words cutting straight through the tension like a knife. Eyebrows are raised, but I try to overlook them.

Nico is the one to pop out 'the question'.

"How are things with your… girlfriend?" He's trying to be civil, I can tell, but with the evil eyes of Tawni and the obedient eyes of Zora, following the only other female in the room, it's kind of hard for any of us to be pleasant.

I shrug, trying to come up with an answer that won't result in my face being torn off. "I don't really know. We haven't talked in a couple of days."

Each person reacts differently. Grady, being the more oblivious of the two guys, just grunts acceptingly, while Nico gives me a small, awkward smile, his eyes drifting towards Tawni. Tawni folds her arms, scowling a little, and Zora, being the younger and most unsure, turns to Tawni for confirmation. Being the only other girl in the group, I guess Tawni is the one she is more likely to turn to. The annoying thing is that this just makes things harder for me.

So I find myself gravitating towards Nico. Nico's good. Nico seems the more friendly option in this situation. The guy may be too suave for his own good, but he's got a heart.

"So, how's it really goin' between you and Sonny?" He asks me while the other three are rehearsing a sketch. I shrug, trying to pay attention to the rehearsal.

"Honestly, I have no clue." I say, "She wants everything to be a secret, and I don't."

"Word of advice, dude," He mumbles, "It might be a good idea to listen to the lady. You don't want…" He trails off as Tawni grabs his arm and drags him into the scene. He gestures to Tawni and shrugs and I nod, understanding. Apparently, from what I can hear, Tawni wants his advice on how she should say something. Tawni used to come to me for advice, but I don't really mind or care right now.

I stand there for a few minutes, alone (being the only cast member who isn't in a certain sketch can get kind of boring sometimes), with my hands dug into my pockets while I sway backwards and forwards, humming under my breath and waiting for Nico to return.

I think about what Nico said, discarding his advice like a piece of trash. Time and time again I've proposed that maybe it would be best to just give in to Sonny and keep the secret, but it's never really been that great of an idea to be a real potential possibility. Bottling things up never helps, and this situation is no exception.

I just wish everyone could _see_ that.

When Tawni's finished with him, Nico ambles back over to me, sighing.

"Sorry 'bout that…" He says.

"I don't want to keep secrets." I mumble under my breath. He looks at me pitifully.

"Dude, it's your choice." He says, "I just don't want things to get crazy."

"And they won't." I promise, "I've got everything under control." I bite my lip, "Or I will. Someday. Maybe."

Nico sighs miserably, rubbing the back of his neck.

"This thing sucks."

And I fully agree with him.

Sonny's POV

Somehow, without bumping into any Randoms, Chastity and I make it to Mr Pike's office to ask him if I can guest star on So Random… again… and pray he says yes. Or I'm gonna have to find some other public proclamation to the world that I love him and I'm not afraid to hide.

Oh, yippee.

Wait, wait, no. I'm supposed to be positive here. Yeah. Worldwide confession on TV. A pack of fun.

_Whoo!_

Chastity delicately knocks on Mr Pike's door, saying a polite, "can we come in?" We hear Marshall grunt in acceptance and Chastity twists the doorknob and lets the door swing open. Marshall is sat behind his desk, and gives us a small smile.

"Miss Munroe, Miss DeWitt. What can I do for you?" He asks civilly. Chastity turns to me and nods, telling me to go on. I take a deep sigh and step forward.

"Mr Pike…" I say, "I – I know this is going to be a very annoying request – I mean, um, I've been guest-starring a lot on your show recently…"

"And we've enjoyed having you." Marshall says warily with a raised eyebrow, "What's the issue, then?"

I bite my lip, "Can I guest star again?"

Marshall's eyes widen. He shuffles around in his seat a little and I panic that he's going to say no.

"Why, Miss Munroe?" He asks, "I mean, not that we don't love having you, and our ratings are always in top shape when you guest-star…" He pulls a face of annoyance, "but it seems that, well, there's a lot of friction between you and the So Random cast at the moment."

I lick my dry lips, my hasty eyes trying to find some escape route so I can run out of here, away from this whole 'save the relationship with Chad' plan. The only reasons I'm still here are that a) Chastity is blocking the door, b) I don't fancy jumping out of the open window, and, well, c) I actually _want _to fix things with Chad. This whole dancing around and avoiding him thing I've been doing for the past couple of days isn't good for either of us, and I just need Chad to see that I do care about him, do want to be his girlfriend, and, as much as it scares me to think about… want the relationship to be _known of_.

"I know that, but, uh, that's why I want to be on So Random." I say with a soft smile, "I- I want to fix things with the Randoms. I, um, wanna perform a song…"

Marshall's eyes light up excitedly, "A singing career, hmm? You're beginning a singing career on our show!"

"Oh, no, nothing like that!" I protest. I mean, I love singing and all, but, like Chad, I rarely sing for _people. _Plus, if I did end up with a singing _and _acting career, I'd probably die of exhaustion. And I'm not giving up my acting career, because, no matter how annoying my cast is, Melody Falls is actually the most fun I've ever had (excluding when I'm with Chad). It's fun to play Melody – with all her drama in her life, I can forget about the drama in _my _life and just play someone who _isn't _me. It's great to escape from the world of _Sonny Munroe _sometimes, because occasionally, it can be as dramatic as (or maybe even more dramatic than) Melody's life.

"I, uh, I just want to get a message across in the song." I explain to Marshall, who nods understandingly.

"What song are you going to sing?" He asks curiously.

"One I wrote." Or _am writing. Tonight. _Oh, _joy_.

Marshall nods, scribbling something down on a pad, "Right. I'll clear a space for you at the end of the show."

Chastity squeals quietly behind me and I roll my eyes, before giving Marshall a warm smile, "Thank you, Mr Pike."

"Not a problem," He says as I turn for the door, "Oh, and Miss Munroe?"

"Yeah?" I say, looking over my shoulder. Marshall gives me an awkward, but kind, grin.

"Good luck."

My smile breaks into a grin. "Thanks, Mr Pike."

Chastity and I walk out of the door, with her elbowing me, giggling stupidly.

"The plan is in action!" She shrieks, dancing as we walk along the hallway. I nudge her.

"Do you _have _to do that?" I ask, sticking my tongue out, "People probably think you're insane."

Chastity looks around innocently, "Do you _see_ anyone walkin' around here to think of me as insane?" She asks, raising her arms and shrugging questioningly. I shake my head, but as I look over my shoulder my breath catches on the back of my throat.

"_Yes_." I say. Chastity whirls around to see exactly what I see – the Randoms, just rounding the corner. My shoulders tense and so do Chastity's, and the Randoms skid to a halt when they see us, all with matching looks of confusion, shock, and slight anger. Tawni steps forward and puts her hands on her hips.

"What are you two doing here?" She sneers, her face the picture of annoyance. Chastity frowns and gives me a look that says _"don't let her get to you." _I take a deep breath.

"We were just here to talk to your producer, Mr Pike…"

Tawni puts her hand up to her ear tenaciously, "Whatever. I don't care. Just leave, right now, before-"

"Guys?"

The small voice rounding the corner stops my heart for a few seconds. Chad steps around the wall, standing behind his cast, who stand closer together and make a wall, almost as if to close him away from me. Tawni, however, is the only one who looks angry. Everyone else just looks… sad. Sad and disappointed.

"Guys, c'mon, why did you st-" Chad pushes his way through the group, ignoring Tawni's loud protests and Nico's arm trying to pull him back. His eyes widen when they land on me, and I give him a careful, gentle smile, attempting friendliness. Chad just stares back at me with his mouth flapping open helplessly. He bites his lip to shut it and rubs the back of his neck.

"Hi, Chad." I say, trying to start a conversation. Maybe, if he realises I don't mind being civil around him and his cast, well, maybe he'll forgive me and I won't have to do the song… And don't get me wrong, I really want to get Chad to forgive me and all and it would be cool for all this relationship stuff to go public, cos Chad is right – it's never good to bottle stuff up. On the other hand, I really don't know if I want to _sing _– what a cheesy confession. But, I suppose, for Chad, it is worth it.

Chad stands in silence for a few seconds – we _all_ do. His cast watch him with curious eyes, waiting for his response and (probably) hoping it'll be something along the lines of _"go away"_. Chad takes a breath to speak, but Tawni nods to Nico and, (grudgingly, in Nico's case) they each pull one of Chad's arms back. He shouts out a small "ouch", and some of the Randoms turn away and walk back around the corner.

"Come on, Chad." Tawni says, shooting a black look at me, "We have rehearsals." She tugs on his arm, and slowly, not breaking eye contact with me until the last second, he turns around and follows her. His blue eyes seem blank and have lost that magical shimmer, and when he's gone I could start sobbing if it wasn't for Chastity's comforting stroking of my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She whispers, "Let's go. You have a song to write…"

I gaze at the spot Chad was stood at for a full thirty seconds, before finally turning and following Chastity down the hall back to the Melody Falls studio.

Chad's POV

I wish I could escape this room. Escape the Prop House and make my way out of the studio and go home and hide until my friends have finally accepted this whole Sonny thing (which, by the way, could be sometime in the next, uh, fifty years, maybe?). But with the eyes of four expectant people on me, I really am not going anywhere. The awkwardness is so thick, I swear you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. have too much attention drawn to try and escape now. Tawni is watching me like a hawk, even with a mirror in her hand, and everyone else is making polite conversation while trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

We just bumped into Sonny and Chastity, and you can just about tell that everyone is holding in some sort of remark about it. Especially Tawni, who is clenching and unclenching her fists angrily. Nico makes a move to touch her hand to calm her down, but pulls away at the last minute.

"Well…" Grady sighs – being the oblivious one, clearly he is the one to attempt to break the ice.

"I don't get _what _she was doing." Tawni mumbles aloud, a sentence I presume was actually meant for inside her head. I realise in an instance who she is talking about. "Here, I mean. Why would she _dare _to come _our _stage?"

Nico shrugs, "She said she was talking to Marshall. I wonder what about."

Tawni snorts, "Probably something stupid and cruel. Knowing Sonny."

Nico frowns. He opens his mouth to say something, but then shuts it again, obviously not wanting to get into a fight with Tawni. Seriously, that dude needs to figure out what the heck is going on with him and Tawni. I mean, seriously. Sometimes there isn't even a _him and Tawni, _and sometimes small things seem to pop up, but never something big that screams that they should be, like, dating or something.

Not that I'd get involved, though. I've dropped out of the meddling field for now, thank you very much.

"Besides, if it wasn't for Chad, we wouldn't have to deal with that girl in the first place." Tawni shoots me a dark look over her mirror. " I mean, If it wasn't for you and your stupid little date with her… we wouldn't have this problem."

I blink. "Um... I'm sorry, Tawni - are you blaming me for this?"

Tawni nods.

"Why? I didn't start the rivalry or anything."

Tawni sighs. "What I meant was, Sonny never came around So Random before you got here. In fact, I think she was actually starting to get bored and leave us alone!" She slams her mirror down on the table and continues to rant. "And- and ever since you arrived, we've been seeing more of Sonny and the other Falls kids, and it's so frustrating! _Why_, Chad, did you have to get close to that- that _thing_? Our _enemy_!"

And as she rants, I stare at her. Just stare at her. And then something inside me snaps.

"Oh, for goodness' _sakes_! You know what, Tawni? I don't actually give a crap, what you think anymore!"

"Well, you _should_!" She snaps, "Because Sonny Munroe is just a mess and she's going to drag you down!"

"_Drag you down_, huh?" I say in a low, calm, but stern voice that could explode at any second. "What? Is that what the original Randoms told you when they made you pick between her and them? Huh?"

Tawni's mouth drops open, "Chad, just shut up-"

"Or what?" I sneer, standing from my seat on the couch, "C'mon, you're always so good at mouthing people off. Come on, Tawni – hit me with it."

Tawni shakes her head slowly, "I don't know what happened to you, Chad." She growls, poking my face. I shove her finger away, disgusted. "You were so nice at first. Now she's turned you into a horrible brat with an attitude."

A slightly crazed cackle escapes from my lips. "A brat?" I enquire. Tawni nods furiously. "Of all people, YOU are calling ME a brat?"

"You heard me!" She snaps, her face scarily close to mine.

"I am NOT a brat, Tawni. YOU'RE the one who's all moany all the time, whining and stomping your little feet and making out like you're the boss of everyone and so much better than everyone else. YOU'RE the selfish one with the ego and the attitude, and YOU'RE the one who deserves the kick up the backside here-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Nico pushes in between the two of us as Tawni raises her manicured claw to slap me. "You two, stop this!" He demands, "It's not making the situation any better!" He grabs my arm to push me away and I shove him off.

"Don't touch me." I mutter. Tawni laughs hysterically.

"Oh, look at who thinks he's better than everyone else _now_!" She shouts, ignoring Nico, who is still clinging onto her arm in an attempt to keep her away from me. "Ladies and gentleman, the jerk has entered the building!"

"I AM NOT A JERK!" I explode. Tawni smirks.

"Obviously." My fists clench, and I feel veins popping out in all areas. My breathing is so uneven and rough, and I swear I could just about turn into the Hulk right now and smash Tawni into teeny tiny pieces.

"Tawni, stop it." Nico says calmly, while Tawni stares stonily at me, "You're working the poor guy into a frenzy. Just look at him."

Tawni stares at Nico for a long moment. Then at me. "You're… _defending_ him?"

"Well, of course I am!" Nico shrugs, "I mean, the poor guy's done nothing wrong, apart from maybe getting involved with the wrong people-"

"Sonny is NOT the wrong person!" I yell, "See, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you all about Sonny! You all judge the Falls kids before you even know them. Just because they're your rivals… and you know what? Some of them are actually really nice people! But none of you would know that!"

Nico frowns apologetically, "I'm sorry, dude, I didn't mean it that way..."

Tawni interrupts him with a scoff, "Well, if you LOVE the Falls cast so much, why don't you go to _them_?"

The room falls silent. Tawni folds her arms, and I wish I could spit in her face, but my mouth feels too dry. Suddenly, I feel a small arm tug onto mine. I look down to see Zora, clinging onto me with wide eyes. Right now, in the middle of a fight, she looks less like a conniving little prankster and more like a helpless twelve year old who needs a hug. She flings her arms around me tightly.

"Don't go, Chad." She sniffles. Tawni snorts, and little Zora shoots a death glare at her. "Leave him alone." She snaps. "It's not his fault this whole thing got out of hand!"

Tawni scowls, "You're defending him too?" Zora nods slowly, solemnly.

"It's not his fault." She repeats quietly. Tawni turns hastily to the only person left to not choose sides.

"Grady?" She tries. He frowns.

"I don't know." He says indecisively. "It's not like this whole thing's his fault, like you're making it out to be." Tawni runs her hand through her hair.

"I'm surrounded by _idiots_."

And that does it. I snatch my arm away from Zora, take small, slow steps towards Tawni and Nico, ball my fist, and raise it. Nico's eyes widen and he gasps.

_SMACK_.

…

The room is an eruption of sound after that. Tawni yells out in pain, gripping her cheek. The others start to yell incoherent words and while the world around me is spinning I stop and realise what I just did.

I just hit Tawni Hart. My cast member. A girl who was once my friend.

_I hit her._

I've never hit a person before. _Never. _And whether Tawni was getting on my nerves or not, hitting her was _not _okay. Tears sting in the back of my mind as I linger between relief of getting that out of my system and regret that it actually happened.

Tawni pulls her hand away from her cheek – it's bright pink.

"What did I tell you guys?" She says finally apart a long pause. "He's no longer one of us. He's on _their_ side."

I stare at Tawni's pink, smug face for a long moment before finally shutting down. I drop my hands to my sides and my head droops and I shove past Tawni and out off the room, to my dressing room.

Alone.

Tawni's POV **(Grr)**

As if fighting with Chad isn't bad enough, as I watch him go, glaring at his back, Grady gets up and joins Nico and Zora, who follow him out.

"Whoa, wait!" I shout. They skid to a halt and all turn around.

"What, Tawni?" Nico asks.

"Where are you guys going?"

Zora shrugs, "To check Chad's okay." The boys mumble in agreement. My jaw drops.

"_What_? _Why_?"

"'Cos, Tawn, if you didn't realise…" Nico steps forward, rubbing his hands together, "the poor guy's messed up right now. We need to go see if he's okay, cos this whole Sonny thing has jerked him up pretty bad, and now you've gone and made it worse."

My shoulders slump, "No, I haven't! It's not my fault he's a _traitor!_"

Nico shakes his head. "Tawni. I'm sorry, but you really need to get over yourself."

He pats me on the shoulder and turns back to the others.

"Oh my gosh, what is _with_ you guys?" I yell, "Do you not see? You're siding with the enemy here!"

"Chad's not our enemy." Zora snaps. Of all people, I'm actually surprised that Zora sided with Chad too. I thought, being the only other girl and the one she sometimes looks to for advice, it'd be me she sided with. But I guess it's not her fault Chad and Sonny have brainwashed them all.

"No, but Sonny is." I say. I regret how childish I might sound, but it doesn't matter. The message is still the same – _stop being so stupid and wake up already!_

"Yeah, but Tawni…" Nico mumbles, resting his arm on my shoulder, "Did you ever stop thinkin' 'bout this whole _rivalry _thing and think about how Sonny and Chad feel? I mean, their whole relationship has been a lie, right? I just… I guess it's kinda unfair how we all ganged up on Sonny and Chad and made them seem like the bad guys. I mean, if Chad and Sonny want to date, no matter how much we hate the idea, it's their choice, right? We don't wanna have some kinda Romeo and Juliet tragedy on our hands."

"B-but-"

"Tawni." Nico gives me a small smile, "Just… forget about the whole Sonny past thing, right? Chad said that the Falls kids could be perfectly nice people… why don't we actually test that and try to get to know them?"

"Because they're our-"

"_Rivals_, we know." Zora rolls her eyes, "Whatever, Tawni. Are you joining us to comfort Chad or not?"

In memory of my reddened cheek, I rub it and shake my head, refusing to see Chad after what he did. Zora scoffs.

"You did kinda deserve that." She shrugs, running out with Grady before I can say anything. That just leaves Nico and I. He sighs.

"Later, Tawn." He says, ambling out to follow the others leaving me alone with my thoughts.

And when they all return later, Chad is smiling again. I guess they cheered him up, anyway. He then stops and looks right towards me, and then continues talking to the others and walks past like I don't exist.

Sonny's POV

"Give it up for the cast of _So Random!" _

The announcer calls for each Random at a time, and the audience roars and claps and cheers. As Chad steps on the stage, the roar gets louder. He forces out a smile and waves, and the audience responds with a thunderous cheer.

It's Friday – the show. I wrote the song last night and titled it _'What Have I Done?', _and now, after long hours of practising all day (Mr Condor let me off for shooting today and let me practice for So Random instead) and all of last night (until, like four thirty in the morning), and now I'm _sort-of/maybe/kinda _ready to get this thing done and finally prove to Chad that I don't care about what the world thinks of us. Sure, I'm still a little insecure and unsteady, but Chad is my rock. He'll keep me safe; I know he will.

I fiddle with the straps on my black and white flowery dress that I picked out to perform the song in, my knees shaking slightly. Marshall Pike comes up behind me and taps me on the shoulder.

"The cast are just going to announce you." He says.

"Do they know who I am?" I ask nervously. If they know my identity - that I'm the 'mystery guest' everyone's so hyped about - well, there goes the surprise.

"Nah." Marshall shakes his head. "I told them to announce you as our 'mystery guest', like I told them you were. Nobody knows it's you expect Mr Condor and I."

I smile, relaxing a little before tensing up again. Nobody knows it's me. What if they're watching all, expecting some awesome singer and then lil' ol' me pops up and I get tomatoes throw at me?

I shake my head. I'm being stupid.

I thank Marshall again and take a couple of deep breaths, humming the tune quietly to myself. Chad's voice booms through his microphone and I jump a foot or so in the air.

"Alright, now, everybody – we have a very, very special guest here tonight." He explains over all the cheering. Everyone suddenly goes silent, awestruck, waiting for his next words. He takes a deep breath.

"She's our mystery guest, and we are so, so excited to have her…" He lowers his voice, mumbling, "Whoever she is…" A couple of audience members giggle, and Chad grins. Marshall leads me to my place on stage, where a piano is sat, alone, in the middle of the stage. That's all there's gonna be – me, and a piano. I mean, I only wrote a piano and vocal line, and since I can play both, I don't have a band or anything. Great. So I really _am_ alone up here.

_Yippee_.

I take my seat at the piano stool, fiddling with the sheet music even though I know I won't use it. I probably won't take my eyes off the piano keys so that a) I won't mess up, and b) I won't have to look into the hungry, staring eyes of the audience. I bite my lip, humming the opening line under my breath, tapping the keys lightly on the piano, just for a last minute practice. My practice is cut off short when the audience start screaming and the voice of Chad calls, "Give it up for our mystery guest!"

The screams screech to a halt when the curtain rises. I look up from the keys to see the hundreds of eyes, just staring at me, not blinking. My mouth drops open and I slam it shut and lick my lips. This is gonna be harder than I thought, especially since I've come wearing minimum make-up - minimum disguise. Yup, I'm really trying to be brave today. Go me.

The jaws of pretty much everyone in the room are flapping open, their eyes impatiently waiting for me to move, sing, fall off the stool and wipe out completely – do _something_. Suddenly, a voice in the far back corner yells, "Go Sonny!" I grin. Chastity. She, along with a small group of watchers, applaud for me, and that ups my confidence I little. I let my eyes wander over to the Randoms, who, just like the rest of the audience, are staring, jaw-dropped. Chad realises that I'm looking at him, blushes, and waves, his mouth still catching flies. I wave back, using my other hand to cover my cheeks with my hair. The audience falls completely silent and I take this as an opportunity to introduce myself. Well, here we go. It's truth-revealing time.

"Uh, hi, everybody!" I chuckle awkwardly into the microphone, "Uh, I'm Sonny Munroe, and I bet you guys are wondering what I'm doing here…" The blank expressions on their faces tells me that. "Well, I'm here to sing you guys a song… and it's kinda dedicated to someone very special…" I smile gently, "So Random's very own – Chad Dylan Cooper."

The crowd cheers a little, and a couple of people whistle. Chad, stood pretty much right under my nose, smiles curiously. I tear my eyes away from the audience, feeling my cheeks turn tomato red, and fiddle with the sheet music again.

"Chad…" I say into the mic. The audience's glares intensify. I gulp. "I love you. This is for you."

That makes the audience go wild. They scream excitedly, and a few cameras click and flash. Taking a deep breath, I try to steady my shaking fingers, and play the first chord.

Here goes nothing…

_Do you remember  
><em>_Everything that we've been through?  
><em>_It's taken so long  
><em>_Just for me to be with you_

_But then I made a mistake  
><em>_Why did you call a break?  
><em>_What have I done wrong now?  
><em>_I've got myself to blame  
><em>_For this aching pain  
><em>_It's cos of me you're not around_

_What have I done?  
><em>_Where did it go wrong?  
><em>_Can't I turn it back just once?  
><em>_I'll fix my mistakes  
><em>_I'll change my ways  
><em>_But for now, I'm on my own  
><em>_I have to fix this alone  
><em>_What have I done?_

_I got it wrong  
><em>_I let you fall while you were touching the sky  
><em>_I can't let you leave  
><em>_Let an opportunity like this pass me by, no_

_While I've got the chance  
>Better grab it while I can<br>I've gotta make a stand today  
>There's no time to wait<br>I can't hesitate  
>There's gotta be a way<em>

_What have I done?  
>Where did it go wrong?<br>Can't I turn it back just once?  
>I'll fix my mistakes<br>I'll change my ways  
>But for now, I'm on my own<br>I have to fix this alone  
>What have I done?<br>_

_Just know that I'm not ashamed  
>And I've never been less afraid<br>Than when I'm standing next to you  
>Next to you, ooh<em>

_But I let you down  
>And I'm sorry<br>I let you down_

_Now, I know what I've done  
>I got it wrong<br>Now I need to turn back the clocks  
>I apologise<br>For all the lies  
>Listen to me, just this once<em>

_What have I done?  
>Where did it go wrong?<br>Can't I turn it back just once?  
>I'll fix my mistakes<br>I'll change my ways  
>But for now, I'm on my own<br>I have to fix this alone  
>What have I done?<em>

_What have I done?  
><em>_What have I done?_

My song shakily comes to an end. I bite my lip, so that no tears escape, and close my eyes, praying that everything's going to be okay.

Suddenly, the cheering erupts. Whistles and shouts and screams and applause. I dare to open my eyes and before I can fully register the cheering and how that cheering is for _me_, a tall, blonde figure jumps onto the stage, striding towards me, arms wide open. I get up off of my stool, set to apologise. My voice is hurried.

"Chad, I am so sorry for the last few days, I just-"

"Oh, I don't care." Chad mumbles as he reaches me, before grabbing my waist, pulling me in, and pressing his lips against mine. The cheering, though the volume increases, becomes just a muffled background noise. Even after those few blissful seconds, the only thing I see is Chad. Full of pride, he turns to the audience, beaming.

"Give it up for Sonny Munroe, everybody!" He calls proudly, wrapping his arm around my waist, as the rest of the cast join us on the stage, apprehensive. The curtains drop as Chad calls a final, "Goodnight!" and the theme song plays. Chad looks up at his friends and sighs.

"Guys, I know you're gonna yell in my ear-"

"It's fine." Zora says, even though her arms are folded.

Chad blinks, "Huh?"

"We don't mind." Nico explains, "Well, kinda. Sure, it's sort of annoying that it had to be Sonny, of all people…"

"But that was sorta cool, what she just did." Grady finishes.

"She seems to really care for you." Zora adds with a nod. Chad's cheerful eyes scan each of his cast – especially Tawni. She tries to smile weakly, shrugging.

"That was a kind of adorable song." She admits grudgingly, but she's still smiling. "Um… sorry." She adds gingerly.

"Is that an apology to me, too?" I ask sarcastically. She laughs a little, shrugging.

"Don't push your luck, Munroe." She says sternly, but she's smiling, "I still loathe you."

"Sure. I believe you." I say, winking. She grins.

"Be good to him, though." She warns, "Or I really will have to destroy you."

"Deal." I say, giving her a wide grin. She nods acceptingly, and I realise that I find more comfortable around the girl now than I have in over three years. I always knew Chad would be the one to bring everyone together.

"C'mon, then, my little superstar." Chad coos, rubbing my back as he leads me off of the stage.

"Where are we going?" I ask. He grins cheekily.

"To our _second_ first date." He kisses me softly on the cheek, "By the way, in case it wasn't clear… I forgive you. And I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ta da! Everything's happy again! HUZZAH! Haha ;D**

**I hope you guys enjoyed that. It was sooo long and was a nightmare to proofread, but hey. I'm glad it's finally done and up now :D**

**Guys! I have a little... challenge, in celebration of this one year of QTO-ness! See, I've been having trouble thinking of a design for a cover for this story - all that I think of is either a little too similar to my cover for Double Life, or just too big and won't fit into that small box. Could you guys possibly give me some ideas? I'll make the design I like the sound of the most, and will put it up as this story's cover! I'll also give you a huuuugee shout-out/dedication next chapter! So what do ya say? Anyone up for it? :D Just make it simple and sweet :D**

**Thanks again, my amazing readers! I love you! *points randomly* And you. And you. And you, and you, and you! And YOU!**

**~Amy x**

**PS: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY QTO! #OneYearQTO ;D**


	46. A Jerk and A Little Magic

**A/N: Hellooooo m'lovelies. I thank you a lot for your reviews. They mean a lot :)**

**I apologise for the 2 week wait. As those of you who visited my profile last week will have noticed; from last Saturday until last Thursday, I was on holiday in France. I was able to write but not update, so half of this chapter was written when I got home Thursday night. It was just a matter of finishing off. Ooh, and I've started LWMS too and it's off to a good start, so I'm hoping to have that up before this Saturday. France was lovely, by the way. Really sunny. Heehee :)**

**Shout-outs to new reader **JHABEA143** for your review. Reading this whole story must've taken some determination! Ha! And no, obviously that was not the last chapter, cos otherwise I wouldn't be typing this! Lol :P  
><strong>

**Also shout-outs go to those who gave my ideas for the cover for this story - **Slinky Flower The Lovatic** and **Lovatic4Life**. I loved both of your ideas, so I'm gonna experiment with them both and get that cover done as soon as I can! I'm always really lazy with covers, so it may take a while :P**

Jet'sFan15** - Don't worry. I've saved Chad apologising for this chapter. I had a whole Chawni-friendship bit planned where he does so, but I wanted to save it for this chap. Yeah. :)**

gummybear** - Nope. That was not the last chapter ;)**

**So, with out further ado... the chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with A Chance.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 45 - A Jerk and A Little Magic<strong>

Chad's POV

I've got Sonny back.

My cast are mostly okay with it.

The public seems to adore us.

Everything just feels right again.

Well… almost everything.

"Tawni?"

My blonde cast mate is still hanging around on the So Random stage about half an hour after the show finished. She's sat on the edge of the stage, playing with her princess crown prop and swinging her legs, her eyes staring right up at the ceiling with a thoughtful tint in them. With the lighting dimmed and her make-up fading, I can see that there is a small, purple-y bruise on her cheek. I wince.

_I did that to her._

She doesn't seem to hear me the first time I call her name. I call, "Tawni?" again just to alert her to my presence. She looks up at me, and gives me a very forced half-smile.

"Hey, Chaddyo." She sings, but it's a strained effort.

"Hey, Tawnyo." I mock, taking a seat next to her on the stage. "You okay?"

She shrugs, "Fine." She says shortly. I huff.

"No, you're not." I object. She raises a cautious eyebrow at me.

"Huh?"

"You're sat here, all on your own. Why aren't you with Nico and Grady and Zora?"

Tawni sighs, "I just… needed some time to think a little."

"About…?"

She smiles at me sweetly, "Don't worry 'bout it, _lil' brother._" She nudges me with her elbow, knowing pretty well that it makes me smile to hear her address me as her 'little brother,' "I'm fine. Just… thinking."

I decide not to try and pry into her mind or beg her for answers or try any form of meddling. I just pat her softly on the knee, in a gesture of comfort. She giggles as her leg jolts – a reflex reaction. Her giggles then die down after a few seconds and she gives me a watery smile. Her bruise, up this close, looks even worse – a sickening mix of purple and green. It's not huge, but it's there. A bruise. Pain _I_ inflicted on her. I feel a stab of guilt, and it makes me feel partially and momentarily sick.

"Tawni, I need to apologise to you…"

Tawni frowns, "For what?"

"For _that_." I say, pointing at her cheek. She shoves my finger away.

"Don't worry, Chad." She says, "It's okay."

"No, it's not." I groan, reaching for her hand. She smiles softly. "I totally messed up – I was angry, but that gave me no excuse to hit you. That was so, _so_ wrong of me. I've never done that to a girl – a _person _– before. I am really, really sorry."

Tawni's smile grows. "Chad, I forgive you." She says genuinely. I sigh in relief.

"I am so glad."

"And now it's _my _turn." She huffs, before clicking her tongue, "_I'm_ sorry about the whole 'traitor' thing…"

"It's fine…"

"No, it's not." She says teasingly, mocking my tone and poking my side, "You and Sonny… I don't _approve_, but it's your choice, I suppose. I shouldn't have spoken to you – _either of you _– like that." Her voice level drops and she adds shyly, "So, I guess I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I say, embracing her in a short hug. She mutters an "aw" beneath her breath, before pulling out from my grip and fluffing her hair. She seems to snap back into reality.

"My bubble." She reminds me, spreading her arms out. Chuckling, I shuffle closer to the blonde, invading her 'bubble', and I wrap my arms around her, giving her no choice but to hug me back. She giggles.

"What happened to you to make you such a jerk?" She ponders, still giggling. I elbow her side.

"I could ask _you _the same thing." I shrug. Gasping, she slaps my side.

"Meanie."

"Only to you, _diva._" I whine, poking my tongue out. Tawni grins suddenly – a large, wide grin. The kind of grin I see on Sonny when I make her happy. That genuinely pleased, happy-to-be-alive grin that makes me feel triumphant around Sonny, because I know it means I'm doing just fine in my self-employed job of protecting her. Seeing that grin is my payment – and hey, maybe I should make it my mission to make Tawni smile too, whenever she needs to. Tawni can be such a bitter harpy. The moments when she does smile are miraculous occasions – I want to see it more. I can make my girlfriend smile like that – surely I can make my non-blood sister smile too, right? I mean, brothers and sisters have their squabbles, but they're there for each other. They're family.

And the Randoms are my family – my extended family, I suppose. Tawni is my sister. As her brother, I need to strive to make her happy.

Almost as quickly as it arrived, Tawni's genuine smile fades. She looks up at me with expectant eyes.

"I thought you had a date to get to." She says observantly, attempting to avoid adding an edge to her voice. Her eyes are hard, but her strained smile tries to reflect a sign of acceptance.

She's trying. She's trying to build a level of tolerance, however weak it may be. And that's all I could ever ask for.

"I do, actually." I jump from the stage, dusting off my jeans. Tawni hops off the stage ands lands beside me, swaying gently on the spot. "Thanks for reminding me."

Tawni pulls a face, "I shouldn't have reminded you… darn it." She clicks her tongue, "So you know, I'm joking, kiddo."

"Right." I pat her on the shoulder, "You sure you're fine, Tawn?"

"A hundred percent." She promises, though her voice portrays only about fifty of that percent. "I'm trying to be anyways. It'll take a while to get used to… you… and a _drama geek!_"

She pulls a horrified face. I roll my eyes, "You're insane."

"No I'm not."

"And whiny."

"Denied."

"It's so true."

"It's so not."

"Is too."

"Nope, I don't think so."

"Are you only doing this so that I miss my date?"

Tawni sticks her tongue out, "Can't blame a girl for trying." She shrugs. Giving her one last smile, I turn to the door and head out to find my date.

Tawni's POV

I admit to myself, with a bitter swallow of the pill of truth, that, as Chad strolls away to his insanely-pretty girlfriend, to his perfect little life, that, hey, maybe this Chad-and-Sonny-dating thing will be good for him, for her – for _us_, maybe.

For Chad, because he's been hiding his feelings for that girl for who-knows-how-freakin'-long. Maybe ever since he met her. Maybe his crushing was even masked to himself, up until recently. To be honest, it's only been in the recent couple of months where I've had a horrible, sneaky suspicion that something was going on between the duo. So maybe, during the first month or two after his arrival, Chad was just as shallow and childish – as annoying as it is to admit – as the rest of us.

And, to be frank, thinking back, it doesn't seem right – Chad being a rival to _anyone_. Chad, being the sweet, kind, innocent little guy he is, is near impossible to imagine as some jerky, snappy, rude person – even to a group of people as challenging and emotionally-draining as the Falls kids. Chad is one of those miracle people who only get mad once in every fifty-or-so new moons. The worse I've ever seen him is yesterday, when he hit me (which, okay, I sorta deserved for exploding at everyone like that). He keeps his patience, he rarely fights. He tried to end the rivalry right in the beginning, for crying out loud! He's a peacemaker, a do-gooder. A lover, not a fighter. I could go on.

My point is, Chad doesn't fight much with the Falls kids, and I hope to God that they don't flip on him cos of the Sonny situation, because then, if we Randoms and them Falls kids can get over the whole Sonny-Chad dating thing, maybe we can get over the rivalry.

Maybe Sonny and I can be friends again.

I don't even know if that's what I want or not. Sonny was - is - the best friend I've ever had, maybe tied with Chad. And then we had that... occurrence where I might or might not have been the cause, and then everything just slid out of place. Then, Sonny became a bigger diva than I ever was (which again, could've maybe possibly been my fault), but I had a feeling, all along, that something was going on with that girl - something dark, ominous. Those few fortunate (or maybe unfortunate) enough to get close to her have ran away in fear, so it seems. I despise admitting this, even to my thoughts, but ever since Chad arrived, the atmosphere in the studio has been warmed by his sunshine-y ways and his ability to somehow, ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, keep everyone. calm and smiling. And apparently, his magical ability even works on the likes of Sonny Munroe. I mean, he's been singing her praises for the last few days; telling everyone how sweet and kind of a girl Sonny is, if we only got to know her.

Should we do that, then? Should we all listen to Chad and give Sonny and her cast a break?

And like I said - maybe, just maybe, it will be good for us Randoms to get to know the Falls kids, for the rivalry to be over.

Not that I'd admit that to Chad, or anyone. Not that I'd admit to being so naïve and hopeful for something so ridiculous. Sonny's dating Chad. That doesn't mean she and I have to be BFFs, right? I have to tolerate her, for Chad. No need to go to extremes. No need to risk a fully-intact, secure reputation to appear as some weedy girl and go and try to be friendly with the previous enemy when tolerating her will do just fine.

Yup. Tolerating will do, I suppose. It's not convenient, but I'll try.

For Chad.

And yet, there's still a small, crazed part of my mind that is jealous, pitiful, and mostly confused – confused that, of all people, he picked _her. _

Leaving the So Random stage, I pace down the So Random hallways, making my way out towards the parking lot, where, no doubt, Sonny and Chad are probably being hounded by paparazzi and congratulated from all sides. That minuscule jealous part of my mind throbs at the thought, and, groaning, I try to bury the betraying thoughts. _For Chad_, I remind myself, _put up with it for Chad._

A cocky voice interrupts my thoughts, shouting, "Hey!" from behind me. Realising he's talking to me, I skid to a halt. I don't dare to turn around though. I want to remain as hostile as possible.

I hear his footsteps sauntering towards me and scowl. I wonder what kind of jerk this is. Another actor? Or maybe he's some overconfident fan who got past security? My hand twitches and I clear my throat, prepared to scream if I need to.

His footsteps stop and I realise he's reached me. I turn – slowly – to face the guy. Being met with his chin, I look up in an effort to see his full face. He has dark hair, and is wearing a smirk that I suppose is permanent. His stance is obviously one of a guy who thinks he's _it_, and he looks familiar, but for the life of me I can't place him. A tiny voice in the back of my head screams _"Chad! Chad!"_ but that doesn't to any good. So I just force a smile onto my face. His eyes light up in response.

"What's cookin', good lookin'?" He clicks his tongue overconfidently. Usually I'd think of this guy as hot. Potential eye-candy to hang on my arm and show off to the press. You know – the usual for a good little diva. But thanks to Chad's positive influences, he's just a jerk with an attitude in my eyes.

"Nothing that concerns you, buddy." I snap in his face, feeling pretty triumphant for the effort. I go to turn on my heels, but he catches my arm.

"I have pepper spray, y'know." I warn him falsely, hoping to convince him to get outta my face. He lets go of my arm, but doesn't move an inch.

"Hmm. I thought we were on the same team here. That's harsh." He grins cheekily. Same _t__eam? _What is this guy's problem?

"I have to go home." I tell him, "And don't you try anything funny, cos…" I gesture to the security camera above our heads. He clicks his tongue.

"Now why would I do that?" He asks, obviously rhetorically. "After all, I don't want the boss-man to fire me."

Oh. Well that caught my curiosity. Darn him.

"You work here?"

He nods, "Just finishin' up my final rehearsals. Next week's my last episode, and then I go home."

Noticing my confused look, he explains further. "I'm guest-starring on Hoosier Girl. I only came to Hollywood for five or six weeks – I'm going home next Monday, after I've finished filming my scenes."

"Good for you." I drawl.

"Yeah." He smirks suddenly, "Wisconsinite." He adds, holding a hand out. I shake it warily. "Should've been born here, but _nope_. I had to be born all the way over in the good ol' cheese state."

Realisation hits me like a bus. Well, maybe. I've never been near a bus station (ick) so I wouldn't know. "Oh, you're a Wisconsinite!" That explains the connection to Chad! But still, there are tons of people in Wisconsin… Why does _this_ Wisconsinite fit with Chad? Are they old friends? Why would Chad befriend such a jerk? Only one way to know…

"You wouldn't happen to know Chad Dylan Cooper, do you?" I question. His eyes sorta flash mischievously. I shudder a little.

"Oh. Yeah. Him and me go wayyyy back…"

I sense some weird meaning in that response, but ignore it. This dude's going home soon – why should I care about his long-winded history with my cast mate?

"And now he's goin' out with Sonny Munroe, one of the hottest babes in Hollywood." The guy adds, obviously impressed as he whistles, "Whoa."

I bite my lip. _For Chad… _"Uh huh." My voice squeaks. The guys smirks.

"I see you're not a fan."

I shrug, "I'm putting up with it." I admit. Why the heck am I even admitting stuff to this jerk?

"I think it's stupid. I mean…" The guy scoffs, "You're Tawni Hart… why didn't the kid fall for _you?_"

"If I was as stupid and rude as you are, I would be asking myself that question." I sneer. He smirks, going on, regardless.

"I mean, it's just like how Sonny should've fallen for me." He scoffs again, "Ridiculous."

I shrug, "They're in love." I choke out the words.

"Yippee for them." The guy drawls, "But love is stupid. Besides," He leans in closer, almost conspiratorially, "don'tcha think it's a little weird that Munroe fell for _him_? Her _rival_?"

"I've been trying to wrap my head around it myself, buddy." I say boredly, "It didn't get me anywhere. Maybe it's the fact that she _loves _him_._"

The guy chokes on a laugh, "Sonny Munroe? Yeah, right! You know it yourself – all that girl cares about is having some arm-candy to show off to the world! Sonny Munroe doesn't know the meaning of _love_!"

One small part of me mentally cheers him on for that statement. Another part mentally pummels him to a crisp for talking like that about Sonny. Both parts immensely baffle the rest of me.

"And you _do _know the meaning of love?" I raise an eyebrow warily. The guy laughs.

"I never claimed that. But c'mon. You really believe this whole 'love' charade she's putting on? Isn't it a little suspicious?"

"Why do you even care?" I ask doubtfully.

Rather than answering my question, he gives me one last I-know-something-you-don't-know smirk, slaps a small slip of paper in my hand and whispers, "Call me," before he turns away, sauntering off.

"Wait!"

He turns back, "What?"

"What's your name?"

He shrugs, "James."

And then he's gone again, leaving me to wonder just why he was even here in the first place.

Sonny's POV

"Okay, next time we go on a date, let's not announce it backstage on my show, with my mic still turned on so everyone can hear us and wait outside to ambush us."

I smirk as Chad straightens his tie, mussing his hair up a little. I matt out my skirt – where a couple of eager fans and pushy paparazzi had grabbed it to try and grab my attention – and give him a gentle hug. He accepts the hug, sighing in pleasure.

We had a bit of trouble escaping Condor Studios, but now we're here, alone, in a park in the more quiet end of Hollywood. The park is mostly empty, apart from an old couple on the park bench down the way and a young girl who is too busy walking with (or sprinting after) her three humongous dogs to even notice us sat here. Regardless of the emptiness, Chad and I are wearing sunglasses, peaking over the rims every couple of minutes just to check that the cost is clear of crazed fans.

"That sounds like a bright idea." I say, rubbing my ear, "I think one of them nearly stole my earring."

Chad chuckles, "So, obviously, the fans are okay with _Chad and Sonny_. The press are okay with _Chad and Sonny_…" He sighs dramatically, "Why do our friends have to be so difficult?"

"They're trying." I shrug, defending them.

"I know…" Chad mumbles, "Can't wait to see their attempt."

"Make sure to cut 'em some slack." I tell him, "This is probably gonna take them some getting used to. Especially for Tawni."

Chad smiles darkly, "Mmm. Hey, let's stop talking 'bout all that now." He takes my hands in his and kisses both, "Now let's just focus on us."

"Agreed."

I swing my legs innocently, gazing up at the leafy branches dangly above our heads from the tree behind the park bench. The leaves rustle - maybe a squirrel is running up the branches. Maybe with a little nut. "So, what's the date plan?"

Chad lets out a peaceful sigh, "I say we stay here." He proposes, "It's so quiet, so tranquil…" He gazes up into the sky, "And there are stars out." He adds, pointing up at a random spot in the sky. With his finger, he traces his own made-up constellation, and then grins proudly.

"Not a cloud in the sky." I agree. There's a soft rustling in the bushes behind us, like the squirrel has climbed back down the tree. Or maybe an animal much bigger than a squirrel. "Huh. And there are animals around. Sweet."

"See?" Chad assures me, "Perfectly peaceful."

The park is pretty much empty now – the elderly couple get up and walk off together, arm in arm, protecting each other the whole way. The girl with the dogs finally gains control of the overexcited mutts and slows to a jog, moving past us without a backward glance. The wind rustles the bushes – at least, I think it's the wind – and Chad lets out a long, relaxed breath. We remove our sunglasses and I place them in my handbag. I nestle my head into his chest, listening to his heartbeat, my head rising and falling with his chest as he inhales and exhales in a steady beat. I close my eyes, and Chad cradles me in his arms, and could just about fall into a serene sleep…

A sound vaguely like a giggle emits from the bushes behind us. Chad whips his head around, but clearly spots nothing and relaxing back into the previous position, his soft fingers tracing the parting in my hair. The sound of whispering whistles through the trees, but I assume that to be the wind.

Has anyone else noticed before that the wind whispering sounds like someone talking? Like, _literal_ whispering? Or have I gone crazy?

A squeaking sound, almost like the creaking of a door, rings in my ears, but before either Chad or I can do anything in reaction, a spray of water splashes against our heads and shoulders and backs, and I squeal while Chad laughs disbelievingly.

"What the…?"

"It's _raining_!" I giggle, "In _Hollywood_! What are the odds?"

Chad blinks, baffled, "But there are no clouds!"

"Who cares?" I ask, throwing my wet hair behind me has I jump off of the bench. Chad claps his hands onto his knees to push himself off of the bench with me. He rolls his sleeves up and rubs his hands together. "Right." He mumbles. "I've missed this."

I blink, running a hand through my soggy hair, "Missed what?"

Chad gives me a mischievous smile, cupping his hands.

"You'll see."

The rain, feeling harsher than any rain I've ever experienced (not that I've had much experience), forms a tiny pool in his hands. He then crouches down to the floor. I watch him, puzzled.

"Close your eyes, Sonny." He instructs, pulling up some grass and mud and scooping it into his cupped hands. Some of his water falls out of the little pool, but with the speedy rain it fills up just as quickly as before. Cagily, knowing the guy's up to no good, I follow his instruction. "Now what?" I ask obediently. I hear his footsteps, keeping rhythm with the rain. He walks to stand behind me.

"Just… stay still…" He instructs seductively into my ear. I giggle at his tone.

"You sound hilarious."

"Oh yeah?" He challenges. I nod innocently. "Well, we'll see who sounds silly when… _MUD SOUP!"_

"Mud sou- _AGH!_" Chad cuts off my confused questioning of his term when he pulls the back off my shirt out and pours his little mix of mud, grass, and water down my back and I squeal in shock. Chad explodes laughing, patting my head with his still-muddy hands. I turn around and shoot him a mock-stern look. Giving me an impish smile, he pats his chin with his hands, and the mud stains his face. I giggle.

"You look silly."

"You have a mud hat." He shoots back, sneering, his eyebrows waggling. Noticing a puddle has formed around my feet, I kick at it, splashing Chad in the process. He laughs.

"You're so childish!"

"Says the guy with mud on his face."

"…You have mud in your hair."

"Which you put there!"

Chad holds his hands up in defeat. "Okay. Okay. I'm the child. Happy?"

I kneel down, scooping up a soggy handful of mud into my hands and plopping it on his head.

"Now we _both_ have mud hats!" I clap triumphantly, and slightly childishly.

"Huzzah!" Chad smirks, before hugging me tightly. He stares into my eyes for a long moment, his eyes longing. I know what he wants.

"I'm not gonna kiss you with mud on your face." I warn him. He laughs, planting a big kiss on my cheek. He pulls away and puckers his lips distastefully.

"You taste like worms."

I give him a disgusted look, "How do you know what worms taste like?"

He just taps his nose.

"Weirdo."

"You love me."

"You love _me."_

"Ah!" He grins, "Two very true statements…"

"Shut up, you nerd."

"Anything you say, Sonshine."

"Okay. Get me home and out of these clothes. There's mud all over my back."

"Pssh. Whatever."

Chad gives me one last kiss, on the cheek, before we turn and start to walk back to the car.

And as we walk away from our little spot under the tree, by the bench, the rain fades away almost immediately. I turn back, stare at the tree, squint, and smirk at what I see.

"I think someone planned that rain shower." I tell Chad.

"Huh?"

I point up in the tree. A sprinkler has been hung up on a branch, hidden by a group of leaves. The sprinkler spits a couple of times, before coming to a shaky stop. Obviously it's water supply has been cut off.

"Oh, a sprinkler." Chad comments as if seeing a sprinkler in a tree is normal for him. Ha. I wouldn't be surprised if it was, for little Mr. Insane there.

"Very creative, huh?"

Chad smirks, "And now we have proven to the world that the _'whistling wind' _you hear about in love stories is just conniving little fangirls." His eyes narrow, "Or, one conniving little cast mate who _is _afangirl."

A voice suddenly comes from the bush, "Told ya they wouldn't fall for it." Skyler comments dryly. A gasp follows.

"But it was so _magical_!" A female voice cries. Chastity. Skyler pops his head out from the bush and waves at us. We wave back, cracking smiles.

"Sorry 'bout that, guys." He apologises, rubbing the back of his neck, "Chastity forced me to come and help her _make a magical romantic-y moment!_" He mocks Chastity in a high voice, and then shudders, and Chastity gasps again, but she doesn't stick her head above the bush, still seeming to believe that we can't see her.

"You're so _mean_!" She accuses, "Moments in the rain are a _must _in all great love stories! And c'mon! It was _romantical…"_

"Romantical's not a word, Chas-"

"_Non-believer!"_

Skyler rolls his eyes, turning back to us rather than talking to Chastity the magical talking bush. "You two go. I'll take this little nutcase home. Or maybe to an asylum."

"_Magic!_" Chas shouts in protest. Chad and I chuckle, sharing a glance, and he kisses me on the cheek and turns me around, back in the direction of the car.

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><p><strong>AN: N'aww. I swear, if I was a character in this story, it would so be Chastity. She's a Channy fangirl too. Lol ;D**

**So, that was a nice little chapter. Channy lovey-dovey craziness, Chawni friendship, Chastity being a crazy fangirl, and, ooh, the return of James! Yes, I have an ish-plan for him. It'll kind of fit in with my little Sonny with A Secret chapters - yes, I will write a few chapters based on SWASecret, because so many people originally asked me to, and, c'mon, it's an amazing episode! :D**

**And I couldn't resist the whole romantic-moment-in-the-rain thing. As Chastity said... it's a MUST! ;D**

**Well, that's all from me. I hope y'all enjoyed it! Make sure to review if you did :D**

**Love you all very much...**

**~Amy x**


	47. Mission: Romantical

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I really, really apologise for the three-week wait, but honestly, for the first two weeks I was just so exhausted and just couldn't write ANYTHING. I started a one-shot for a different fandom (Xiaolin Showdown, for those who are curious. I'll post it when I've finished. Yeah, thanks to my reminiscing recently I've got back into it. Ha) But, apart from that, I hardly did anything up until last Thursday/Friday time. Ha. Fail.**

**But I'm back now with a lovely chapter... which is full of a very new pairing that someone suggested would be called 'Chaskyler'. So, in response to y'all and your love for Chastity and Skyler... here's the chapter! Without further ado... oh, wait. Review replies first.**

**Shout-out to** MrB.o.B1990** 'cos it was your birthday the other week, and this is your present! Ha! Apologies for the lateness... but you understand, right? **

**Also, thanks to **ChaskylerChanny16** for your awesomeness and inspiring the new name for this lovely new pairing :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, cos it's for you! **

channyfan83 - **Thanks for all your awesome reviews! **

CHAX FINCHEL LOVER - **I'm glad to hear you've been loving it! :D**

**Okay... massive A/N over, let's get on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SWAC or the characters in this story. I only own the plot line. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 46 - Mission: Romanitcal<strong>

Skyler's POV

"_Sky-eeee!"_

Oh crud.

We've finished filming here at the Falls for the day and everyone's going home. Well, apart from Chastity, that is. Little Miss Over-Happy.

Oh, and, uh, apparently, me.

See, no matter how hot she is, there's one big problem with Chastity. Her sunshine-y ways and overly-perky attitude makes her almost impossible to evade. It also makes her pretty much impossible to hate.

Curse that girl.

Flashing me some stupid big puppy-dog eye-thing, she coos, "I need a favour…"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. _Not again… _"I will not help you get together the lunch lady with a monobrow and the script writer with three toes on one foot."

Chastity shakes her head quickly, looking like an overexcited kid. "No, no, no, not _that!"_

"Thank goodness…" I roll my eyes, "Last time did not go so well."

Chastity scoffs awkwardly, "It wasn't _that _bad…"

"The script writer had _five_ toes before."

Chastity's eyes widen, before she pulls an innocent face that she thinks makes everyone melt. Pfft. Yeah right. "It wasn't my fault that restaurant has overly sharp knifes…"

I huff. "You're not gonna let me go until I've helped you with your meddling, are you?"

She bites her lip, "Uh, I wouldn't call it _meddling…"_

"Do you prefer wrecking people's lives?" I ask in a fake sweet tone. Chastity sticks her tongue out. Realising that she really has no other option, she pulls out the puppy dog eyes card again.

Damn it.

"_Please?"_ She coos, playing with her fingers and batting her eyelashes a lot. Ugh. Stupid girls. Like I said, behind that hot girl with the pretty face, is some evil monster who's using some façade as some innocent chick to, uh… lure guys into her evil trap? Like those siren things that pirates used to come past.

Only sirens weren't real.

I think.

"What exactly is it that you want me to do?" I ask with a huff. Her eyes sparkle excitedly. Wait, why did I notice her eyes sparkling?

"Well…" She twirls a length of her hair playfully, "I need you to help me make a magical romantic-y moment for Sonny and Chad!"

I face-palm. Oh, no… "Chas, I don't think that's a good idea."

The sparkle in Chastity's eyes disappear, and I don't know whether to be relieved at the downfall in her plan or upset that the sparkle has gone. Need I say it? _Ugh! _

"But, Sky…" She nearly starts sobbing. She makes her eyes unbelievably-huge and sticks out her lower lip. Damn the stupid puppy eyes. Damn that pout. Damn her, damn her, _damn her_.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, shaking my head, "I must be outta my mind… but fine."

And I regret that immediately as an ear-piercing shriek exits her mouth, making my whole body shudder. I swear the girl jumps about fifteen feet in the air before grabbing my arm and cutting off all blood-flow to my hand.

"This is going to be _so much fun!" _She proclaims.

"Oh, yeah. Joyous."

She glares daggers at my tone, before skipping off innocently, dragging me behind.

Oh, crap.

It's not like I even like Sonny being with Chad. Sure, I put up with it, but to be honest, I couldn't give a stuff about them. You know what I mean? I, unlike Chastity, try to stay as far from all the crappy lovey-dovey stuff as possible. But, with a girl like Chastity around, that is nearly impossible.

Plus, when you're helping her out with one of her stupid plans, the mushy-slushy stuff _is _impossible to avoid.

Help me.

Skipping along, Chastity leads me to her car outside in the parking lot, and instructs me to sit in the passengers seat, adding a little squeal on the end. I swear, every second I'm spending here with her is making me start to regret saying 'yes' to helping her stupid plan. Whatever it is, it'll probably end up messing up Sonny's date with Chad. I kind of feel pity for them. Good thing I'm not in a relationship or Chastity would be sprinkling her little love-dust all over me and my girl. Then again… I wouldn't have a relationship, after Chastity got her hands on it and tore it apart - all by total accident of course. Or then, maybe not accidental. Maybe Chastity detests relationships or something and puts on this _I-love-love-and-meddling-with-it _routine to ruin everyone's relationships. Wow. She's more evil than I expected.

Great. Well, let's just keep the fingers crossed for Sonny and Chad. They're gonna need it.

Chastity drives to her apartment, which is only a couple of minutes away from the studio. She prances in to her house only to come out a few minutes later, holding some weird garden-y thing in her hands. It's only when she dumps it ceremoniously on my lap that I realise it's a sprinkler. I blink.

"Uh, Chas… not that I'm doubting your brilliance, but what's with the sprinkler? What are you gonna do with it? Cleanse their souls with your magical pure love potion-water?"

Chastity's eyes narrow menacingly at my tone, before it wipes off her face and she's smiling again. Really, does that girl ever quit?

"Nooo…" She sighs, like it's obvious, before sinking into a secretive whisper, like a secret agent explaining the mission to a rookie. "Sonny and Chad are going to the park. If we can find them, we can mount this baby up in a tree above them and make out like it's raining! Then, they'll have some adorable moment which'll start with a play-fight and end with a kiss!" Chastity sighs, "It'll be so magical and romantical! Like in the movies, cos there are always romantic raining moments in movies…"

I refrain from telling her that she's insane. "I hate to poke holes in your plan, babe, but, uh, this is Hollywood. Look around. This place is like sunshine-city – I doubt they'll fall for the whole 'rain' alibi… and besides, won't they notice the sprinkler?"

"Not if we hide it amongst the branches in a tree!" She proclaims perkily, before adding as an afterthought, "Did you just call me babe?"

Another blink. "Uh… is that a problem?"

Chastity bites her lip. "Uh… I guess not."

Oh. Crud. Where did that 'babe' come from? This is awkward. Um, okay. Moving on…

"Shall we get goin', then?" I ask, patting the sprinkler on my lap. Chastity nods.

"Right." She then turns her voice all serious, "Let's go, Hair-Quaff!"

"…Hair-Quaff?"

"It's a codename." She explains, "Y'know, like –" she deepens her voice, "– Pony Lover to Hair-Quaff. Come in, Hair-Quaff!" She giggles, "I bought walkie-talkies and everything!"

This girl clearly _is _insane… "You love ponies?" Yup, I decide to focus on the less-weird side of her explanation.

"That a problem?"

I shrug, "I didn't really see you as one of them… but then, you love fluff and happiness and rainbows… so obviously, you're one of those overly girly girls."

"Gee, thanks." She giggles, starting the car. Okay, crap. There's no backing out now. Well, might as well make the most of it and at least try to talk with Chastity rather than sitting here moping like a wet mop.

"We're not using those codenames, by the way." I tell her. She opens her mouth to protest, before slumping in her seat.

"Fine." She pouts.

"So… um…" I click my tongue, awkwardly realising that I hardly know anything about Chastity and have nothing to talk about. "How's, uh… how's your brother?"

Chastity blinks, "I don't have a brother."

"I-I knew that." Okay. Epic fail.

"How's _your _brother?" Chastity shoots back.

"I… don't have one."

Chas giggles, somehow finding something hilarious in the fact that I don't have a brother either. "Gee, we know _so much_ about each other."

"Yeah." I agree, smirking along with her, "How long's it been since you joined the cast? A year?"

"A year and a half."

"And we know nothing about each other." I whistle in shock, "Gee, we're such sociable people."

"Well then, we've got all night. Maybe we should get to know each other." Chastity suggests.

I dunno what it is – maybe it's the fact that I've just realised that I'm gonna be all alone with this girl all night and had better get used to it. Maybe it's the miniscule friendly part of me that actually cares and wants to get to know Chastity. Or maybe it's the fact that there's a little twinkle in Chastity's eye from where the faint night light hits her eyes just right, that makes me agree with her and say; "Sounds like a plan."

And so our getting-to-know-each-other agreement begins.

Chastity's POV

"Favourite music genre?"

"Eh, I'm a metal kind of guy. You?"

I shrug, "Pop, Rock, Alternative."

It's been twenty minutes since Skyler and I arrived at the park that I hear Sonny and Chad say they were having their date at, and thirty minutes since our little get-to-know-each-other thing began. We're running outta topics.

It's been kind of fun to get to know Skyler, though. Seeing as I'm usually forced to hang with the snobby girls in my group and Skyler is the more closed-off of the two boys in our cast, he's the one cast member that I know the least about. Well, that was the case thirty minutes ago anyway. I know so much about him now that I could probably write a long and detailed book about his life. Or maybe not – I've forgotten most of the stuff he's told me. I should've brought a notepad. Ooh! That would've been helpful to write secret notes on during our secret mission! And yeah, I just said secret twice. Who cares?

Um. Anyway. Since Skyler and I have been talking so openly in the last thirty minutes, he's actually become more and more open as the night's gone on. He used to be a closed book to me, but I'm getting to know him more now, and it's actually really nice. He's a much nicer guy than I ever realised.

"Uh… favourite pizza topping?"

"Mmm… anything with meat. You?"

"Hawaiian." My tummy rumbles at the very thought. "You've made me hungry now."

Skyler shrugs, "Well, maybe after we're done up here we should go get some grub. I'll treat ya to a Hawaiian."

I blink, "Like a date?"

Skyler's jaw drops. Oops. Don't think he saw that coming.

"Um… well… no… as just friends, I guess."

"Oh." I say. I honestly don't know where the disappointment in my voice comes from, but it's there. I bow my head. "Okay."

I really don't know what's the problem there. A few hours ago, I couldn't have given a stuff if Skyler hadn't wanted to date me. I dunno. I guess thirty minutes of getting to know a person can change your look on them. I mean – to me, Skyler used to be just the closed-off guy in the group – he was kind of a jerk, even. The only one of the Falls kids he really hung around with was Ferguson, the only other guy (not that I blamed him. Half of the female Melody Falls' population is evil). But, I suppose, getting to know Skyler has made him more of an open book than before.

That still doesn't explain why I'm a little disappointed that we're not going on a date. I mean, sure, Skyler's good-looking… but, in retrospect, I've _known _him for thirty minutes. Hey – at Melody Falls, no-one really knows each other. We work together, but it's not like we're a big family, like the So Random members are.

Yeah. I know. How sad is that? I've known these people for over a year now; I work with them eight hours a day, five days a week, for most of the year. And I hardly know a single thing about any of them (apart from Marta and Portlyn, but then I only know about them cos they won't stop yacking about themselves. I don't even know the important stuff like if they live with their parents and if they have any brothers or sisters. All I know is their favourite cosmetics and their make-up routines. Ew).

Answer to 'how sad is that?'. Sad. Very, very sad. Almost heartbreaking. Gosh, I wish I was a Random sometimes.

"Anyway," Skyler murmurs, snapping me back into reality, "do we need to set up the sprinkler and stuff for the plan?"

"Yeah… yeah, I guess we do."

"Um…" He checks his watch, "What time did you say they were coming again?"

"I dunno." I admit, "They probably got caught up with the paparazzi an' all. They'll be here."

Almost as if it was planned, two figures suddenly come walking up to a nearby bench. I smile.

Sonny and Chad, right on cue.

"C'mon," I whisper to Skyler, gesturing with my index finger for him to follow me. Holding the sprinkler, he follows suit as we creep around, going unnoticed by the lovebirds, and reach the bushes right behind them. Coincidentally, and luckily, the bench they are sat on has a tree _and _a bush behind it. Perfect. We can set up our plan _and _get a good look at the action.

We crouch carefully behind the bush, watching from behind Sonny and Chad as she nuzzles her head into his neck. They don't speak, but just from the aura in the air you can tell that they know exactly what the other is thinking, feeling. They're like two puzzle pieces – fitting correctly; knowing each other's every move, every thought. They probably know each other inside out – know way more about each other than just favourite music and pizza toppings. They probably know each other's pasts, presents, futures. Hopes, dreams, fears, loves, hates, worries, tears, laughter; _lives_.

How I wish to one day have a love like that. A love that strong. That unbreakable, impenetrable bond that nothing, not even the forces of the Earth themselves, can break it.

Chad stretches out, wrapping his arm around Sonny, and she hardly reacts to it. She just nestles closer to him; her breathing in perfect harmony to his. The peace and tranquillity is only disturbed when Skyler prods me with a stick.

"You're such a fan-girl." He accuses in a faint whisper.

"Whatever." I shrug off his comment and take it as a compliment. "You got the sprinkler?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Can you climb trees?"

"Like a monkey. You?"

"Nope." I smile, "That settles it. Up you go."

Skyler moans, "If they catch me, it's on your head."

"I'm willing to take that blame, so long as love spreads through the air after our little plan."

Skyler smirks, "Ohh, it'll be more like hate spreading through my fist as it collides with your cheek."

"Ouch." I frown, but somehow I can't help but giggle on the inside, "That's mean, Monkey Man. You wouldn't do that."

Skyler grins, "'Course not, babe."

I blink. That's the second time, tonight, that he's called me 'babe'.

"Okay," Chad's voice suddenly breaks the silence, and I jump almost three feet in the air, before shooting Skyler a look of panic. Crud. Have we been caught? "next time we go on a date, let's not announce it backstage on my show, with my mic still turned on so everyone can hear us and wait outside to ambush us."

I exhale, relieved. They haven't seen us. We're still a-go.

Sonny and Chad talk a little more about their relationship and how poorly the casts reacted to it, and I feel a pang of guilt. I'd known about the relationship… I should've warmed everyone towards the idea so they didn't spring on Sonny and Chad and scream at them like what they were doing was an illegal crime.

But Sonny and Chad didn't seem to care about everyone's reactions, to be honest. The influence of both the So Random and Melody Falls casts seem to have had no affect on how they feel around each other, act around each other. If anything, it might've made them closer, more dependant on each other. That day after everyone found out must've felt like Sonny and Chad versus the World for them, and I guess when you feel like you only have one person in the world that you can depend on, that person becomes your foundation, your rock. You can just see in the way those two stare at each other, that they are each other's rocks. No matter how cheesy it sounds – together, they're unbreakable.

They stop speaking for a second, and I give Skyler the thumbs-up to place the sprinkler in the top of the tree. Like some strange spider-monkey, Skyler climbs up the tree with skill and agility, and hangs the sprinkler in the tree, rearranging a few of the branches so that they cover the sprinkler and make it less viewable.

Sonny asks Chad about the date plan and Chad replies saying that they're staying, which at least makes my plan more full-proof. At least they won't go anywhere so we'd have to move the whole plan to somewhere a lot less coexisting with the plan. If we had to hang a sprinkler up in a restaurant somewhere, the results wouldn't be as cute. It was seem less like a chance rain-shower; more like someone accidentally set off the fire alarm.

Skyler arrives back at my side in a second, watching Sonny and Chad from above the bush, looking sceptical.

"This isn't gonna work." He whispers to me.

"It won't if you don't have a little faith in the plan!"

Skyler rolls his eyes, "Oh yeah. Right."

"Shush." I hush him, shoving my hand in his face to shut him up. If we get caught, there goes the plan.

"They're not gonna notice us, Chas." He says, whispering even quieter this time. "They think we're the wind. And squirrels. Which is weird, but hey."

Ignoring his comment, I squint my eyes, watching as Chad cuddles Sonny, and it looks like she's about to fall asleep.

Okay. Time to crank up the fun.

"Hair-Quaff, turn on the sprinkler!" I say in a command-y voice. Skyler just raises an eyebrow at me.

"What did I say about the codenames?"

"That they were awesome and I should call you that for the rest of your life. Now _turn it on!_"

"Whatever you say, boss."

I accidentally giggle in excitement, which unfortunately causes Chad to snap his head around to face us. Sky and I duck down and, fortunately, he doesn't see us. Skyler then turns on the hose and the water begins to rush up to the sprinkler.

"This is gonna be so great!" I squeal. We sit in silence for a couple more seconds, before a shriek from Sonny suggests that our little plan is now in action.

"What the…?"

"It's _raining!" _Sonny all but cheers. "In _Hollywood! _What are the odds?"

Chad blinks, and for a moment I panic that we've been caught, "But there are no clouds!"

Damn. Why is Chad so logical? Luckily, Sonny doesn't analyse it as much.

"Who cares?" She squeals, jumping off the bench, almost dancing. Chad, seeming to forget the logic, gets up too. He rubs his hands together and smile mischievously, and before we know it, they're having a mud fight! A very, very fun mud fight, that is. And it's an adorable romantic moment for them… so… mission accomplished!

"Told ya it'd work." I whisper to Skyler, who still looks sceptical.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch." Sky warns, "It's not over yet."

Throwing his comment off, I turn my attention back to Sonny and Chad, who, quite frankly, are a mess. Chad has mud all over his face and clothes, and Sonny has mud trailed over her back and on her head in an little neat pile (or, as neat as mud gets, anyways…). But who cares? The sparks are flying back and forth so much, I swear there's gonna be a fire! Yay!

…Wow. I am a fan-girl…

Hooray.

"You look silly." Sonny accuses. Chad smirks.

"You have a mud hat." He says, eying the pile of mud on Sonny's head. Sonny kicks water at him and he hollers out a laugh.

"You're so childish!"

"Says the guy with mud on his face."

Chad pulls a face, "You have mud in your hair."

"Which you put there!" Sonny argues back. But it's not an angry argument. It's as cute as cute can be.

Sonny gives Chad his very own mud hat after that, and then- _then_ comes the romantic-y moment. Grab your popcorn, people! This is gonna be adorable. Cue squeal.

Chad hugs Sonny, gazing at her with a sparkle in his blue eyes that says something along the lines of _I really, really love you. _Like, so much so he'd do anything for her.

"I'm not gonna kiss you with mud on your face." Sonny protests, making him chuckle, before rewarding her with a big sloppy kiss on her cheek. He pulls a face of distaste after it and I begin to panic, but he just goes right back into the joking.

"You taste like worms." He informs his girlfriend, who pulls a face right back.

"How do you know what worms taste like?"

I have to bite my lip to stop myself from giggling as he taps his nose secretively. Skyler, next to me, is pulling the same disgusted face as Sonny… only he isn't kidding around.

"Weirdo." Sonny taunts.

"You love me." Chad shrugs. I could just about do a cartwheel. I _knew _she loved him!

"You love _me." _Sonny shoots back. Two outta two – oh yeah!

"Ah! Two very true statements."

"Shut up, your nerd."

"Anything you say, Sonshine."

_Sonshine?_ Where's my camera? Oh, this is fluff-and-cuteness _gold!_

"Okay." Sonny ponders his proposition for a moment. "Get me home and out of these clothes. There's mud all over my back."

"Pssh. Whatever."

They kiss once more and they start to walk off and I grin as I switch off the sprinkler. _Yes! _Success! And they didn't catch us!

"I wouldn't grin like that so soon." Skyler says, despite his own smile. Oh, no, wait. That's a smirk. I look up to see Sonny and Chad have turned back, and worse; have spotted our sprinkler. They are now staring at our bush, waiting. In an attempt to avoid getting caught, I stay totally silent.

Damn it.

"Told ya they wouldn't fall for it." Skyler says. Damn! He's blown our cover!

"But it was so _magical!_" I protest, just quiet enough so that hopefully Sonny and Chad won't hear. As a final act of messing up the whole plan and totally blowing our cover, Skyler stands up. I, on the other hand, refuse to be so stupid. It would reveal my identity. A true secret agent never blows their identity. Duh.

"Sorry 'bout that, guys." Skyler says to Sonny and Chad, really wrecking my fun. Eh. That sucks. "Chastity forced me to come and help her _make a magical romantic-y moment!"_

Hey! I don't talk all squeaky and high like that!

Do I?

And now he's blown _my _cover too! Ugh, I have so much to teach that dude…

"You're so _mean_!" And, because he's wrecked it all, of course I need to remind him of why we did all this in the first place… "Moments in the rain a must in all great love stories! And c'mon! It was _romantical…"_

"Romantical's not a word, Chas…"

"_Non-believer!_"

Skyler, ignoring me, turns back to Sonny and Chad. "You two go. I'll take this little nutcase home. Or maybe to an asylum."

Ouch.

"_Magic!" _I remind him, earning chuckles from Sonny and Chad. Well, that's a bonus, I guess…

As Sonny and Chad stroll off, arm in arm, Skyler turns back to me with a smile.

"So I suppose we're off to an asylum, now?" I ask, pouting. Skyler laughs.

"Nah, we've got that pizza to get, remember?"

"Pizza?"

"I said that after this we could go get a pizza. Well, now it's miraculously over, we can go."

"Oh yeah." I try to smile, "A pizza. As friends. Yay."

Skyler clicks his tongue in thought. "What if I were to say we were going as, maybe, _more than friends?"_

Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up…

"Did you just say… more than friends?" I ask, "As in… a date?"

Skyler shrugs, "I guess so. Then we can finish off our little _get to know each other _thing…"

I can't help but grin like an idiot. "Oh-okay…" I stammer, my mouth a little too wide for my face. "Sound… sounds good!"

"Good." Skyler says with a cool smile. He reaches for my hand and squeezes it, leading me back to my car. We make it a few metres before he stops.

"Wait." He says, "Sprinkler."

We both look back to the sprinkler, which is still sat neatly in the tree. Skyler stares at it for a few seconds, before shrugging.

"We'll come back for it later."

I nod in agreement, skipping ahead, dragging him along.

Success indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wheeee that was fun :D Har har - Chastity is one of my favourite characters to write. She's so silly. :P**

**So, what are your thoughts on Chaskyler? Like 'em? Hate 'em? I can't wait to write them more, personally! And I apologise for the lack in Channy but don't worry - next chapter will be the return of Channy :) Yayyy!**

**Please review! You know how much I love seein' 'em :D**

**~Amy x**


	48. Vacation

**A/N: Hello, guys! I'm just here with a nice little update to apologise for my awful updating recently, especially on this story. It's been taking me like, two or three weeks to update at a time! Ha. This one's just taken a week, so I hope you guys enjoy it! **

**Review reply tiiime...**

Thecowgoesmoo29** - Haha. Chastity reminds me of me too :P**

ChaskylerChanny16** - I'm glad you liked it! I've thrown in a lil' more Chaskyler for you here. Not much, but a bit. But there's a little more Channy this chapter, 'cos I know y'all missed them :P **

MrB.o.B1990 - **Take this one as your gift too :P **

**Have fun a'readin', y'all! ;D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story (unless they're my own OCs) or the show that this story is based on. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 47 - Vacation<strong>

Chad's POV

"GEWWWD MORNIN', COOPERS!"

Sonny's shrieked greeting and my mom's stern warning as a response sends me into a fit of slightly-crazed giggles. My mom loves Sonny, sure; she's too a friendly mother – _person_ – to not. But or course, trust my lovely mother to do the telling-off of someone else's child, who happens to be my girlfriend.

"It's still early in the morning, Sonny dear," I can hear Mom's muffled complaining from the expertly-designed hiding spot that is my bedroom, "It's been a long week for Chad, and he's still in bed getting some rest."

Mm-hmm. The traditional teenager's sleeping-in-on-Saturday's ritual doesn't even slip past goody-two-shoes me. Shocker.

"Chad's not up?" Sonny carps, her voice loud enough that our neighbours can probably hear her voice. "Dang it! That sucks on ice, dude."

"Would you like a drink while you wait for him?" Mom offers sweetly, ignoring her moaning, obviously forgiving Sonny for storming in and yelling, "He'll probably be up soon."

"Got any juice?"

The sound of Mom's padding slippered footsteps walk away from me, before a louder, clomping set of high heels come toward. A snicker emits from outside my room. Smirking, I hide myself under my covers and close my eyes, settling my breathing to that of a sleeping person. Being the generous and polite girl she is, Sonny barges into my room without knocking.

"He-hello!" She coos, mid-chuckle, dumping herself on the end of my bed where my feet are. Remaining perfectly still, I fake a snore, receiving giggles from my girlfriend, who scooches closer to my face with every second. Realising I'm not wearing a shirt, I casually wriggle the blue covers further over my face, still managing to pull off my sleeping act. Sonny pokes the back of my head and I suddenly regret my mother's offer of a drink. Sonny's acting like she's on a sugar high and if she guzzles juice with even _more_ sugar in it, we're gonna have one very hyper Sonny right here. Great.

"Chad. Chad. Chad." She hisses in my ear, "Chad." She pauses. "Chaddyo." She tries, "Chaaaad..." She then heightens the pitch of her voice, "_Chaaaad_... Heheh! I sounded like a chipmunk. _Wheeee_!"

"Someone's on a sugar high." I murmur, my face stuffed into a pillow. I turn my head to see Sonny beaming proudly.

"Nah, just in an awesome mood!" She professes, bouncing onto her feet and just about waltzing with herself around my room. "It's a beautiful day, it's the weekend, I have my glorious boyfriend to hang out with for the whole of that said weekend, and everyone knows about said boyfriend now, so we can do whatever we wish on this said beautiful weekend day!"

I pull a face, debating her points, "Nope. I think it's the sugar high."

Sonny giggles; a silly, jolly giggle.

"You're mean."

"You're high." I retort.

"I do not take drugs!" Sonny protests, folding her arms.

"I'm beginning to seriously doubt that." I joke, pulling a stupid face and nodding.

Sonny fakes a gasp, folding her arms.

"Meanie."

"Love you too, babe."

* * *

><p>"So, what are your plans for the day, kids?" Mom asks, stood over the oven, making pancakes. She flips on, keeping her eyes on Sonny and me, where we are stood by the doorway, yet still expertly catching the flipped pancake in the pan. Sonny, watching in awe as the pancake falls flawlessly into the pan, smiles.<p>

"We have no idea."

"Winging it?" Mom asks.

"Winging it." Sonny confirms with a wide grin. Mom smiles and nods and tosses the pancake onto a plate, passing it to me. She offers one to Sonny, who, obviously still needing her sugar fix, accepts it with an eager grin as Mom pours the batter into the pan. The grin fades suddenly, and before I can ask what's wrong, she pulls her vibrating phone out of the back pocket of her denim shorts. Sticking her tongue out, her eyes scan across the screen as she reads the text, before her eyes lift to meet mine. The indifferent look on her face erases the slight panic I felt in case there's an emergency or something, but I'm still curious to what's going on.

"We need to go to the studio."

My eyebrows raise in question, but prior to being able to ask any questions, my own phone rings in the front room – a random ring that came with the phone and sounds like jingly elevator music. I pick up my phone, opening the message.

_From: Condor Studios_

_Can all receivers of this message please come to the studio for 10am. Mr Condor has an important announcement to tell all cast members receiving this message and so we require ALL cast members present by 10am at the latest; NO EXCEPTIONS!_

I look back up at Sonny, who is stood in the kitchen doorway, looking indifferent once again. Obviously this is the same text she got.

"Yeah," I say, "you're right."

Sonny's POV

After chowing down on Mrs Cooper's pancakes, Chad and I race down to the studio in his car. We travel down the highway, determined to get to the studio nice and early so we don't breach Condor's '_NO EXCEPTIONS_' rule. Something tells me that violating such a rule won't keep us in Condor's good books, if we're even in there in the first place (which I doubt _I _am).

No longer afraid of being seen together, Chad and I walk into the studio arm in arm, receiving looks of shock, to respect, to pride. The casts that we don't know as much, like the Tween Gladiators and Hoosier Girl cast, keep more of an indifferent expression. That is, except for James.

Despite Monday being James's last day, the studio still seem to have counted him as part of the Hoosier Girl cast, and have therefore invited him to this meeting. He sends us sarcastic smirks, before blowing me a kiss. Chad, in a quick, defensive movement, tightens his grip on me and glares daggers at his enemy, who raises his arms in mock-surrender, the creepy sneer not disappearing from his expression. I snake my arm around Chad's, holding him tight to stop him from storming over and punching it off of his smug face.

All the casts are gathered at Melody Falls – as Condor's office is too small to fit about eleven casts, everyone is gathering in the Melody Falls lounge. The leather sofas have been moved back and plastic chairs, like the ones you see in assembly halls in those high school movies, are all in lines. There are eleven or so rows; I assume one for each cast, though I may be wrong. I spot Chastity, Skyler and Ferguson already gathered at the front row, and Chad notices his friends sat behind them. Tawni smiles at him and taps the seat next to her – the one seat left, right in the middle of the row. Placing a chaste kiss on my lips, Chad gives me the thumbs-up and shoots off to join his cast. Smiling as I watch him go, I approach the half of my cast present, only to notice something as I get closer.

Only close up, can you see the sparkle present in Chastity's eyes, as she stares up at Skyler, who cracks a joke, making Chas laugh like crazy. Only close up, can you see that her arm in snaked around his. Everything clicks into place when I get close enough to realise these things that you don't have to be an expert to correctly interpret.

"So, obviously, that asylum you took her to was a very _romantical_ place, huh, Sky?"

Skyler chuckles, wrapping his arm around Chastity's back, claiming his stake on the girl. "Let's just say spending an hour or so plotting love plans for other people with a lunatic can make you prone to the stupid love bug." He admits with a shrug. Chastity hits him softly on the arm, a playful smile toying at her lips.

"I'm not a lunatic."

"Sure you're not, my loony gal." Skyler winks, earning another good-natured whack from his new girlfriend.

"Gee, who woulda thought?" I speculate jokingly, "The quiet jerk and the bubbly sweetheart?"

"Gee, who woulda thought?" Skyler mocks me, "The Hollywood bad girl and the Wisconsin guy-next-door?"

"Well played, my friend."

"Gosh, I gotta get a girlfriend." Ferguson interferes, clicking his tongue, "You people in love seem to be so perky all the time."

"I take offence to that, bro." Skyler warns mockingly, "Sonny and I could never be 'perky', and have you even _met_ my girl?"

It's kind of sweet to hear Skyler calling someone 'my girl'. Something Chad would never do to me is objectify me. Skyler, I suppose, is not that kind of guy to _not_ treat their girlfriends as 'property', like Chad is… but he means well, nonetheless, and Chastity doesn't seem to mind. She doesn't even seem to notice. She is an innocent little sweetheart, after all.

"Yo, Munroe!"

I turn to face the blonde Random, who is in the seat directly behind me. Tawni is poking Chad, grinning.

"What have you done to our boy? He misses you already!"

Chad shoves her finger away from his face, "Ignore 'em, Sonny." He advises as Nico and Grady start singing 'Chad and Sonny, sittin' in a tree…' He smirks suddenly, hinting for me to play along. "They're just jealous of our _lurrve…" _And to seal the deal, he plants a big sloppy kiss on my cheek. I giggle stupidly and kiss him back. All the Randoms, and Marta and Portlyn, who have just arrived, moan loudly, earning a few looks from the surrounding casts. A group of Meal or No Meal girls (whose cast is taking up three lines because of their large number in comparison to ours) whisper, pointing at Chad and giggling. One even blows Chad a kiss, which he luckily doesn't notice. I clasp my hands together, unsure of why the Meal or No Meal girls would be messing with Chad when they've barely ever spoken to him, but then I notice James in the thick of it and straight away predict that it's something to do with him.

"Attention, please! Can I have your attention, please?"

An auburn-haired girl – predictably one of Mr Condor's assistants – stands in front of me (as our row is at the front – Stage 1 is the chat show 'Tia', and the only cast for that really is, well, Tia. Plus, it seems that, unlike I originally thought, only about half of the casts in the whole studio are present, rather than all of them like I previously expected) – clapping her hands. Her hazel eyes scan the room as most of the actors fall silent, and those who don't, eventually do when Mr Condor walks to the young woman's side, folding his arms across his chest. His looks at each face with his cold eyes, before taking a breath. I brace myself for the yelling.

"Right, listen up!"

All the actors in the room fall silent at the man's yelling; out of either fear or curiosity, I'm not sure. For me it's definitely curiosity – I want to know what was so urgent that he requires all of us here, on a weekend; a non-working day.

Satisfied with the silence, Mr Condor continues. "Now, you may all be confused as to why I've gathered you all here. Perhaps even slightly worried. Well, you can relax. None of you are losing your jobs…" The universal sigh that fills the room empties everyone's lungs. I even find myself relax a little at his statement, before he takes a breath again, "Well… not right now, anyway."

I swallow hard, fidgeting in my seat.

"The point of this meeting is really one that does not concern you overly – it's more the production teams that are in trouble right now. See, you may have noticed that all of you who are gathered are on shows that are all shown under only one of the two networks we use here at Condor Studios."

I look around and realise that he's right. Most of the shows – So Random, Melody Falls, Hoosier Girl – are shown on the same TV channel. Even the ones that aren't – Meal or No Meal, Tween Gladiators – are still of the same network.

Mr Condor shuffles awkwardly, looking annoyed, and almost embarrassed. "The team who were responsible for sorting out the licences for your shows with the parent company that airs all of your shows have not done their jobs right, and so they are the ones who are in danger of losing your jobs – not you. I'll spare you all the details – all I'll say is that, while we sort out this mess _they've_ created-" The annoyance in his voice when he refers to this _'they' _gives him the aura of a peeved-off child, more than an angry TV studio owner. "-we are giving you all one week off."

This is when the whispers begin. Keen people behind me murmur to each other, excited for this extra week off. Mr Condor continues, pretty much zoning out the whispers. It's kind of out of character for him. Obviously he's too peed off with the licencing team to tell us all to shut up. "We apologise for any inconvenience this causes – though I'm sure most of you don't mind. Any guest stars present will have their episodes filmed the week after this week off. If this is not possible, we will try to rearrange your episode to be filmed some time with more convenience. As for the rest of you; rest up well, do whatever you wish this week – those try not to get into any trouble..." His warning tone sends a shiver up my spine, "- and we will see you back in the studio next week. Now, dismiss."

Groups of casts split off – leaving the door or ganging up in corners of the room – as Condor leaves, whispering about this spontaneous week off. Chad taps my shoulder, and I turn to see him beaming hugely.

"A whole week to ourselves." He chirps. Tawni rolls her eyes and pretends to gag, and Chad elbows her in the stomach.

"Jerk." She mumbles, a playful smile on her face. Chad sticks his tongue out jokingly. The Randoms, excluding Chad, stand and make their way to the door; Nico and Grady talking about a new version of Halo that they're excited for, and that maybe they'll have more time to play it now with this week of if it arrives in time, while Zora and Tawni just awkwardly wave a 'goodbye' to each other. Tawni watches Zora leave before standing at the door, beckoning Chad over with her hand. Chad obeys without question. Curious to hear their conversation, I walk with Chastity and Skyler, who are chatting to each other; excluding me, but that's fine by me.

"Hey, bro, " Tawni coos to Chad sweetly, "What about that, huh? Extra vacation!"

"Great," Chad shrugs, his beam having calmed to just a simple smile, "Just a shame we can't work."

"You're upset about that?"

"Well, sure." A smile toys at his lips, "With this job, it hardly feels like work, anyway. It's just fun! But I suppose there are some good sides to this extra vacation, like the days off to spend with others…" A sweet smile in my direction.

Tawni's eyes follow his and she pulls a face in disgust, "Okay. Nice. Good for you two. I might just have to leave to another state to get away from you both."

Chad chuckles, "None taken, Princess. Or maybe we'll have to leave the state to save you the trouble."

Tawni's eyes light up, "Great idea! You could go back to Mistonsin!"

Chad blinks, "Wisconsin…"

"That too," Tawni corrects, wafting her hand around in a 'don't care' attitude, "but still, it's a good idea!"

"Um… do you wanna get rid of me that badly?" Chad asks, half of him joking, the other looking seriously concerned. Tawni giggles, wafting her hand, this time, in his face.

"Silly Chad, of course not!" She coos, "I just thought it would be nice for you to go home and see Granny Cooper and whoever else there is. Besides, it'd be nice for Sonny to meet your friends and family, won't it?"

Chad blinks, "I guess it would… but how would we get flights at such late notice?"

"Sonny over there has a private jet." Tawni reminds Chad, sending me an almost dirty glare. I try to smile at her, and, giving up, she tries to smile back, before turning to Chad. "You're welcome!"

"Tawni," Chad caught her arm before she could turn off, "How am I supposed to spring this onto Sonny? You're expecting she'll just say 'Sure, let's do this!'?"

Tawni shoots me another look, a smirk toying at her lips as she seemed to notice something. I realised I was grinning like an idiot. "That's exactly what I'm expecting." She shrugs, "Trust me; she'll wanna come."

She turns on her heels, flouncing in the direction of the door. Chad pulls her back by the arm once more.

"And you promise you're not trying to get rid of me, right?" He asks, to make sure; though there's a little bit of a joking tone to his voice.

"Pfft," Tawni scoffs, not turning around, "Sure, sure. See you again soon! Adios, aloha, au revoir, all that stuff…"

"You know Wisconsin is still part of America, right?" Chad raises an eyebrow.

Tawni shrugs, "Sure, sure," She repeats, flinging her handbag behind her, "bye, Chad!"

I approach Chad after saying 'goodbye' to Chastity and Skyler, and place a hand on his shoulder. He doesn't turn from watching Tawni stalk off.

"Seems the gossipy diva's back." I taunt. Chad sighs.

"Unbelievable."

"That's what you get for being friends with a girl like that."

Chad scoffs, "She's a nice girl, really. She just has one of those… impenetrable shells."

I nod, "_Very _impenetrable. Like… _impossible to_ penetrate."

"Shut up."

I smirk, "What a lovely thing to say to your girlfriend."

Chad takes a breath to speak, but he suddenly flinches. I turn to see James sauntering over.

"Losers," He greets us both, before leaving and heading… in the exact same direction as Tawni.

"Coincidence, much?" I say, watching him go with a wary eye.

Chad moans under his breath, "I hope to God that it is just that."

"Tawni wouldn't get involved with a jerk like James, would she?"

Chad shrugs, "Who knows…" He mumbles, "I don't get her. She can be a sweetheart; she can be a monster. But she has a brain."

"Half of one." I correct. He shoves my chest, chuckling.

"You're so sweet."

"I try, Chad. I really try."

* * *

><p>"So…"<p>

I fiddle with my fingers. "So…"

Chad clicks his tongue. "…So." He flicks the remote once more, sighing loudly as some cheesy melodrama appears on the television screen.

"Vacations suck, don't they?"

Chad chuckles, "Not when you're a school kid, craving those damn things. No homework, no early mornings, no bullies or bitchy cheerleaders or jerky jock squads… you're definitely not a normal teenager, if you hate vacations!"

"Well, sorry, but does any of _this_ scream 'normal teenager'?" I joke, gesturing my hands to myself. Chad just about splutters all of the Dr Pepper he was guzzling onto the coffee table.

"Whoops." He laughs, grabbing a tissue from the box sat on the coffee table and wiping up his own spit. "My bad."

Smiling, I decide to change the subject onto something that's been on my mind since we got home a couple of hours ago.

"So, uh, what were you and Tawni talking about?"

Chad looks back up at me, "Uh…" He scoffs, "…Stuff."

_"Stuff."_ I mock his tone, "Liiike…?"

There is a considerable amount of silence before Chad speaks again, "Uh, she was just considering going to a different state during the vacation, and then suggested I go back to Wisconsin for the week."

"Oh," I let my shoulders slump. An act, of course. I don't want him thinking I was invading his privacy when I heard him and Tawni talking about _who_ he would bring to Wisconsin.

"And uh… she suggested I bring a guest too."

"Like who?"

He smiles a little, before it disappears and he shakes his head, "Uh, I'd have to talk to Mom."

"Oh." I settle back into the couch, slightly dissatisfied with his response. "Okay."

I've been thinking about Tawni's suggestion of me going to Wisconsin. It's an interesting proposal – me, going to Wisconsin, where Chad's entire family and original group of friends live? I suppose I'm willing to meet Chad's family, seeing as I'm now his girlfriend.

But what about Chad? Is he willing to let me go meet his family?

And if he's not… why?

I don't even wanna speculate.

My phone bursts out suddenly with an obnoxious, yet catchy, bubblegum-pop song Chastity set as my ringtone for her. Picking up the phone, I press the green button, plug my ear, and prepare for the screaming.

"HAI, Sonnyyyy!" She coos.

"What's up, Chastity?"

"Oh my gosh, Skyler and I were just thinking about going to _La Luna Bella_… would you and your lovely boyfriend care to join us for some lunch?"

"Who is it?" Chad asks.

"Oh, just a fan-girl who wants to have lunch with us." I say, wafting my hand around. Chad smirks, getting the joke.

"I can hear you, ya know." Chastity chirps. "Are you up for it?"

Chad's stomach coincidentally rumbles and he smiles. "Some grub could go down pretty well right now."

I nod and place my mouth to the speaker, "We'll be there."

Chad's POV

Feeling uncertain about this whole take-Sonny-to-Wisconsin thing, it feels good to take my mind off the subject by meeting up with a couple of her cast mates. It's not that I don't want to take Sonny – her meeting my family as my girlfriend is something I've dreamed about for a while now – it's just that there are a couple of complications. Flight, for example. I don't wanna take advantage of Sonny's vast pay check and take her private jet, like Tawni suggested. I doubt there are many flights to Wisconsin, leaving tomorrow, that have first class seats still on offer at this late a notice (because, however sweet and lovely and down-to-earth Sonny can be, I doubt she'll settle for less than first class). Plus, I've gotta ask myself; do I really, _really_, want Sonny to meet my friends?

My dorky, idiotic, _pain-in-the-butt_ friends?

...

See what I mean? Complications. Complications that go by the names of Jacob, Terrence, and Danny.

Whoopee.

We meet Chastity and Skyler outside _La Luna Bella – _the Italian restaurant Sonny and I had our failed first date at – at around half one. My stomach rumbles impatiently and I groan, inwardly hoping my stomach doesn't begin devouring other vital organs just to keep itself full.

We approach the VIP back room, to which Skyler called ahead to check if there were any tables free. He made a reservation for us four; luckily there was one table left, even at such a late notice.

The man who greets us at the door is skinny and young and has black hair and blue eyes, and he seems like a friendly enough figure as he asks Skyler for his last name and welcomes he and Chastity to the restaurant. His eyes then land on me and Sonny and immediately narrow.

"Excuse me…" He mumbles in an Italian accent, heading to a room labelled 'Staff'. I blink.

"Uh, did anyone else find that a little... _odd_?" Sonny pipes up, her arm firmly wrapped around mine.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Skyler shrugs. I swallow hard.

A minute or so later, the guy comes back out, with a larger and older-looking bald man behind him. The younger guy points to me, and my heart pounds against my chest. I hold my breath – even my stomach seems to have shut up because of a little fear. The bald man examines me, head to toe, before he pulls a face that I take as a bad sign.

"I'm sorry, young man. We're going to have to ask you to leave."

I don't even speak a word as the man points to the door and raises his eyebrow at me. Everyone else, on the other hand…

"…WHAT?!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oooooohhh... yes, my dear readers, this is just the beginning of my own little version of Sonny with A Secret - an episode that many of you asked for me to do when I first started this story! I'm so excited to shove this little arc into the story and add a little melodrama to the couple-y fluff I've got goin' on. Heehee :)**

**So, there we go. This extra little vacation Mr Condor announced? Yeah, that was to give way for this Wisconsin suggestion, 'cos of course, I've been dying to send Sonny and Chad to Wisconsin for ages. So here it begins. Yay. **

**Also, I hope all the technical licencing stuff was right. I'm not a technical person. I just like drama and FLUFF! :P**

**So, what's going on? Why is Chad being kicked out of the restaurant? What's going on with James and Tawni, if anything? Why was Tawni acting so weird? And what about this Wisconsin situation?**

**Well, you'll find out next chapter! That is, if you review! ;D**

**Peace!**

**~Amy x**

**PS: OMD guys have you heard Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson? It's such a beautiful song! It fits so well with this story, too! When I first heard it I just thought of Sonny. Haha :D**


	49. Framed?

**A/N: Just a nice short chapter to tie y'all over. I've started back school now and I've got a lot of work to do this year, but I'm sure it won't deduct from my time to write until about summertime when I have a bunch of exams. But still, even then, I will write as often as possible! And there's a long way to go 'til then, so... :)**

**Shout-out to **Creativity Is Wonder** for giving this story another shot! I'm so glad you enjoyed it this time 'round :D This chapter goes out to youuu for ruling.**

**Also shout-out to **JHABEA143** for being an awesome reviewer. You guys RAWK! xD**

swac twilight14 - **I LURRVEEE your profile pic! *sigh* I miss Stemi... *sobs***

**Y'all had some really interesting interpretations of what's going on here... and some of you seemed totally shocked that Chad was getting kicked out! Reasonings for it are comin' up in this chapter...**

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own Sonny with a Chance...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 48 - Framed?<strong>

_Previously…_

"_I'm sorry, young man. We're going to have to ask you to leave."_

"…_WHAT?!"_

Sonny's POV

"This is ridiculous!" I find myself all but screaming at the man in front of me, "Why are you kicking Chad out? He hasn't done anything wrong!"

Rather than answering me, the small, bald man rubs his chin, "Chad?" He repeats, "Chad Dylan Cooper?"

My fists clench together and I bite the inside of my mouth so hard that I taste blood, "Yes. What's it to you?"

Again, the bald man ignores my question, and turns to tap another worker on the shoulder.

"Angela, is this the guy?"

The worker is a young girl – a redhead, slim figure with emerald green eyes and freckles. I recognise her from somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on it…

Angela's bright eyes light up as she sees each of us – that is, until she reaches Chad. Her face falls and settles into a scowl.

"I take it you're not a So Random fan?" Skyler pipes up, watching as Angela's glare hardens on an awkward, clueless Chad.

"Oh, no." Angela shakes her head, her stare tense on Chad, "I'm just not a _Chad Dylan Cooper_ fan."

Chad, still remotely stationary, blinks – the first motion he's made since he was asked to get out.

"Wh-why?" He finally speaks, timid to make a wrong move. He's already being kicked out; he obviously, being the sweet guy he is, doesn't want to cause a scene to embarrass anyone. "What did I do to you?"

Angela scoffs, "I didn't expect you to remember me… I was your waitress, when you first came to the restaurant, on our opening night."

She tucks her fiery her behind her ear and everything clicks into place. Of course. I remember her now. The happy redhead chick who said Chad and I were cute together... she said she was a big fan...

"But- but you liked Chad, that night!" I allege, "Why don't you now?"

Angela's eyes narrow and she speaks with poison in her words, "Because he stole from the restaurant."

...

Deadly silence.

Then an eruption of sound.

_"WHAT?"_

"_Stole?_" Chastity's innocent eyes turn to Chad, who is still silent.

"He wouldn't do that!" I snap.

"Would you, Chad, dude?" Skyler asks, unsure as Chad remains silent and motionless.

"Of course he wouldn't! Right, Chad?"

Chad looks like he's not even part of our world anymore. He seems to be off in some dream world; one where he's not being accused of theft. I prop an arm on his shoulder supportively.

"C'mon, Chad, tell them you'd never steal! You're a good guy! You don't steal!"

Chad frowns, "O-of course I wouldn't." He says, his voice shy and soft.

"He sounds reserved." Angela comments darkly, "I've seen enough detective shows to know that he's being quiet 'cos he has something to hide."

"Shut up." I snap.

"He's in an emotion wreck inside right now as he tries to wriggle his way outta this, like a dirty little snake..."

"I said, _shut up!"_ I yell at the girl. In normal circumstances, I wouldn't be screaming at this girl like this. She's allegedly been robbed, and so obviously the immediate response is to be on the offence. I wouldn't normally blame her – I'd do the same thing in her position. But it's the fact she's attacking _my _boyfriend, makes me want to claw her eyes out. She shoots me a dirty look, and the bald man shoves a hand between us to stop us from throwing down.

"Angela, that's enough!" He turns to me, "And you, young lady, stop yelling, or I'll throw you out, too. You're disturbing the customers."

Chastity puts a careful hand on my shoulder to warn me to stay away. I step back, my hands still clutched.

"Okay, then." I say, my voice somewhat verging on hysteria, "So what is Chad being accused of stealing? Some cutlery? A ketchup bottle?"

"A whole meal, actually." The man says, arms folded.

"_Ohhh_! A whole meal!" I giggle, a loud snort following. It doesn't take a genius to realise that I'm kind of losing it. "Someone, call the cops before he strikes again and takes someone's bread rolls!"

"Sonny, don't." Chad whispers in my ear, but I ignore him, turning to the customers.

"Everyone, hide your plates – Chad Dylan Cooper's in the building! He's sleazy, and on the hunt for something cheesy!"

A few customers chuckle, though most just stare, baffled. Chad puts a hand on my shoulder.

"_Sonny_." He hisses.

"Maybe we should discuss this in my office." The older man decides, beckoning us to follow him. Chad pulls me along, like a boat tugging a wakeboard, leaving a trail of curiosity and shock and confusion in our wake. People mumble amongst themselves as Angela shuts the door behind everyone.

The room we enter is the average office-like room. A desk in the centre, filing cabinets, a walk-in closet in the back-left corner. Chad, Skyler, Chastity and I stand in front of the desk in the middle of the room, while the bald man sits in the seat behind it. The name plate on the desk identifies him as _Tony Michaels – Manager_. Angela stands to his left and the black-haired guy with an Italian accent who first greeted us, whose name tag claims he is "_Gino_", stands to his right. I think to myself that this reminds me of one of those stereotypical Mafia movie scenes, only not as intimidating and threatening.

Tony examines his desk, searching for something, before spotting what he was looking for and passing Chad a small slip of paper.

"The receipt for the meal you had." He explains. Chad blinks, shaking his head, before his eyes land on the paper and bulge.

"Holy crap…" He mumbles. I look over his shoulder at the receipt and my jaw drops.

Two-hundred and sixty-five dollars.

Chad begins to stutter, "S-sir, I swear, I didn't eat when I came here!"

"You must've." Angela pipes up, "I remember you. I served you on your first night here. I never forget a face; 'specially a celebrity one."

"But we didn't eat! Sonny would know – she was my date!"

"Yeah, we left before we could order because of…" I turn to Skyler, whose arms are folded. He seems to remember too. "…problems with friends."

"Yeah, we didn't even order dr-" Chad blinks, "Wait, why do you say _'first night here'_?"

"Look at the date on the receipt." Angela advises. Chad does so, and his eyes widen.

"Wednesday the eighteenth of January." He reads, almost breathlessly, "The day _after_ our date."

Each of the workers nod slowly.

"This is ridiculous!" My voice erupts from me, "You've got the wrong guy - Chad wasn't-"

"Chad came back, the day after your date, Sonny." Angela recalls. "If I can remember right, you ran out of the restaurant and you had a fight outside, right?"

I scowl. This girl's detective skills are really getting on my nerves. "Yes." I say, my teeth gritted.

Angela turns to Chad, "And then your boyfriend here came back, the next night. Only this time there wasn't just one girl. There were five."

Chad's jaw drops, "_What?!_ When did- I didn't- but-"

"Seems he's suffering from a guilty conscience." Angela drawls.

"Shut it, you!" I hiss, "Chad wouldn't do that!"

"I guess it's time to see the security footage, then." Tony sighs, nodding to Gino. Gino heads into the closet in the back of the room to emerge with a CD. He puts it into the computer, and the video loads up. A black-and-white picture appears on the screen, of the VIP room. The video is silent - there is no buzzing or low chatter or anything - so it is clear that there is no audio.

The date along the bottom reads 1/17/12 – the night of mine and Chad's first date. I spot Chad and I walk in together, and though you can't hear it, we are clearly talking, laughing, having fun. Tony fast-forwards it a little, and the image that shows up is one of Chad arriving back at the table we were sat at, to find it empty. Because I'd fled after seeing my cast. Everyone turns to Chad and I.

"Don't remind me of that night." I moan, "Please."

"Well, let's see the footage of Chad and these five chicks, then." Skyler says, rubbing his chin. He looks totally sat on the fence – indecisive. I just wish he'd stop it and pick a damn side already – preferably, the one Chad and I sit at. Chastity, though looking speculative, stands next to Chad, with a hand on his shoulder – a comforting gesture that shows that she's loyal to Chad.

Tony opens up the video for the eighteenth of January, before speeding the video into fast-motion. The organised chaos of the fast-motion figures of both staff and customers blurs across the screen, before Tony suddenly pauses the chaos at the time 21:30:46.

"There." He says, pointing to the VIP entrance.

A group of four girls walk in the door, laughing rather manically. Something inside me pangs, and I swallow as a thought runs through my head that they may be drunk. I recognise two of them, but the blurry, black-and-white image makes them difficult to make out. Two more suddenly join them at the door; both also laughing rather hysterically. Although one of them isn't a girl; rather, a guy. A very, very familiar guy.

It looks like the exact same guy who is stood next to me.

"What the-"

Chad's jaw drops wide open at the image.

"Remember now?" Angela smirks. "Or were you too intoxicated to even remember any of that night?"

Chad's jaw moves frantically, but no words come out for a total of five long seconds. "I-I've never been drunk in my life!" Chad vows. Angela scoffs.

"Right, goody-goody."

"Angela, that's enough." Tony insists, before turning back to Chad. "I want you to leave, young man. But not before you pay for everything that this party ate on that night."

Skyler sighs, shaking his head and taking a wallet from his back pocket. "I'll pay for it." He groans, looking tired of the whole situation as he pulls a few notes out of his wallet and counts. Chastity, also wanting to chip in to get us out of this nightmare, checks her purse in her handbag. Chad, sighing in relief, thanks them both profoundly.

"Thanks guys, so much. I'll pay you back, I promise, and I'll figure out what's going on-"

My eyes, however, are still on the screen. As the blurry images where on the screen, one image very much catches my eye. This supposed 'Chad' has his arm around the girl he entered with – another vaguely familiar face. They're seated by a figure who looks like a black-and-white Gino at a table for six, with the other four girls.

Chad's voice pulls to a halt. I feel his blue eyes on me.

"Sonny, is everything okay? Sonny?"

I watch the guy and the girl on the screen in horror. I watch everything they do.

They talk. They laugh. They hug.

Most disturbingly – they _kiss_.

Chad's POV

"Sonny, wait!"

After the supposed me and that girl kissed on the security footage, Sonny pretty much ran out immediately. With no other ride but myself, she sat in my car, arms folded, insisting I took her home. She's stubborn, I'll give her that.

The second we got to her house she ran inside and straight to her room, not giving me a chance to explain (like I would if I could, that is… which I can't). So now I'm just stood outside her bedroom door, knocking it with my fist every few seconds and begging for her to open it.

"C'mon, Sonny, let me talk!"

"Go away!" She calls back. I picture her folding her arms and pulling some little pouty face as she hugs her legs up against her chest, sat, sulking adorably…

Ugh. _Soo _not helping here.

"Son, can I not just explain what happened back there?"

There's a pause. A long pause. Her voice then comes from behind the door; slightly closer this time.

"I'm waiting." She murmurs.

"Um… well…" Biting my lip, I realise I don't know what to say. "I- that- uh… that wasn't me."

She sighs, "It sure looked like you."

"C'mon, you know me. Would I go out with a bunch of five girls, the day after the girl of my dreams breaks my heart? And half of the girls looked plastered – why would I hang out with girls like that?"

Sonny scoffs, "You're just tryna butter me up with that '_dream girl'_ comment."

I bite my lip, "That wasn't a denial that you agree with me." I hear her feet shuffle awkwardly against the carpet. "C'mon, Sonny, why don't you believe me?"

The door creaks open and Sonny flings herself gingerly into my arms. "I do believe you." She whispers in my ear, "I do, I do… I just don't _get it!"_

"Me either." I rub the back of my neck, "I wasn't at the restaurant Wednesday – I hardly wanted to leave the apartment. That was the night that you'd decided that we should still keep everything a secret-"

Sonny tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "Right."

I realise I've brought up the wrong memories. "Sorry."

"No, you're right." Sonny shakes her head, "You were just stating facts. You're not that kinda guy. You're right." She smiles innocently, "Continue."

"Well… if I'm not that kind of guy… who _is?" _

Sonny nods slowly, "Yeeaah... Who the heck _was _that guy?"

* * *

><p>Night approaches and Sonny and I remain stuck in her house. Terrified of leaving in case word got out of her embarrassing little outburst in the restaurant, Sonny subjects me to a good few hours of watching Melody Falls while she sits, staring at the screen, hardly concentrating, with her attention much more angled at chewing on a small strand of her hair.<p>

"You want fries with that?" I ask her halfway into the season two premiere. Sonny smiles innocently, twirling the strand around her finger.

"Gross. Sorry. I'm not paying attention."

"I can see that." I nod, refraining from letting any disgusted emotions seep onto my facial expression.

"You two okay?" Mrs Munroe's voice asks from behind. Sonny nods and gives her Mom a half-hearted smile.

"Don't worry, Mom." She coos, "We're peachy keen."

"Well… just don't let poor Chad here get bored! He's been stuck in this room for hours!" Connie chides, before turning to the kitchen. Sonny sighs.

"Yeah, Mom." She carps, pulling a face in my direction.

"She's right, you know." I say, remembering a call I had with my Mom earlier while Sonny was puzzling over who the guy in the video could've been. "We _should_ get outta here."

"_Now_? You crazy?" She carps again, waving her hands at the door for emphasis, like it's a threat.

"No, no…" I shoot her a smile, "…Tomorrow, maybe…?"

Sonny raises an eyebrow at me, "Where were you planning to go? Preferably somewhere dark. Where no paparazzi could get to us."

"Well…" I rub the back of my neck, "How does Wisconsin sound for _paparazzi-less?"_

Her eyes suddenly light up. "Wisconsin?" She says innocently, "I had no _idea_!"

Realisation hits me like a ton of bricks. "You heard mine and Tawni's conversation, didn't you?"

Sonny scoffs, "…I might'a heard the middle part…"

"So you heard Tawni suggest that we go to Wisconsin, right?"

Sonny puckers her lips, popping out a, "_Yup_."

"So do you wanna come?"

Her eyes go back to the glimmering, excited light again, "For the whole week?"

"Mm-hmm."

"To your hometown?"

"Mm-hmm."

"To meet your family?"

"Mm-hmm."

"…And friends?"

I drop my shoulders for effect. "Not those dweebs."

Sonny giggles. "I'd love to!"

"…Meet my friends?" I continue the act, adding a well-executed shudder, "Are you sure?"

Sonny rolls a little on the couch, laughing, before planting a large kiss on my cheek.

"I'd love to come." She coos. "Dweeby friends an' all."

Tawni's POV

_'Hey, babe. Remember me? 'Course you do. _

_I noticed something interesting earlier, at the studio, after Condor's announcement. You seemed very eager to get Sonny and Chad away from you. So much so you suggested that they travel to a different state just to get away from you. I told ya so – you hate those idiots being together as much as I do. And don't try to deny it or tell me something stupid like "they're in love", cos it's pathetic and you know it's not true._

_At risk of sounding like some creepy bad dude from those weird movies, how'd you like to join forces to try and tear 'em down? You know you wanna. I mean, Sonny doesn't really love the guy, does he? It's obvious. You don't want your friend being with a girl like that, right? And I don't want Chad being with a girl who's way outta his league. No offence._

_I'm sure you'll make the right decision, babe. You got my number – call me if you're in._

_James.'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oooohhh! So, to answer any confusion - Tawni did not tell Chad and Sonny to leave to help with some evil plan James has... but will she join him in his evil plan _now? _You will have to stick around to find out!**

**I hope I got all the dates right of Sonny and Chad's first date. I know their first date was either on a Monday or a Tuesday... tell me if I was wrong and I'll get it sorted out and corrected. **

**And did you guys realise who Angela was? She was the sweet waitress from their first date. Obviously she's two-faced -_- **

**Pleeeaaase review guys! My review count's dropped a little recently... yes, I know, I'm being whiny, but reviews to make me smile, and a lower amount of them that usual can be slightly disheartening. But I still love all of the reviews I do get! Keep those sweeties comin'!**

**~Amy x**

**PS: Anyone else go to the Paralympics Games? I was there last weekend! I was so stoked! Saw the basketball, the tennis, and the athletics; it's soooo inspirational how talented they are! :D I'm a bit of an Olympics fan-girl xP**


	50. Pains, Planes and Automobiles

**A/N: Hey there y'all! Thanks for the reviews, they're all much-appreciated! I really enjoyed reading them, and they sure motivated me today to get this thing finished, so here it is! I hope you enjoy it :)**

**I love writing mystery arcs, lol. It gets y'all all suspicious of _everyone_! Haha :D**

**HUGE thanks to **BHGodlyGovt **for your reviews. You read ALL my stories? Sweet! This chapter's dedicated to you for exactly that reason :P**

**Thanks also to **Slinky Flower the Lovatic **for informing me that this story has more reviews than LWMS! And it's like 10-15 chapters shorter! WOW! :D Y'know, we're 12 reviews from 800... ;D**

**Thanks to **Creativity is Wonder **for educating me on what the "Para" in Paralympics means. Learn somethin' new every day :P **

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance. Uh. Duh. :) I also don't own Twilight, or The Little Mermaid, or the song Poor Unfortunate Souls in the Little Mermaid. I wasn't even born when the latter two were released. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 49 - Pains, Planes and Automobiles<strong>

Sonny's POV

"Sonny?"

"Mmm..."

"Sooonnyyy..."

"Ugh…"

"Sonny!"

"Chaaaad?"

I yawn out his name, somewhat faded between real life and unconsciousness, floating on the invisible line that divides the two. My eyes flicker open, and I see his perfect innocent face staring down at me in wonder. I yawn again and close my eyes when I do, slipping back into perfect unconsciousness.

Unconsciousness is nice. After everything that happened yesterday, it's nice to sleep and avoid the real world and just hang out in the world that is blackness. I find myself falling deeper into sleep when something jolts me.

_"Sonny!"_

"Wha?"

And I'm back in the real world again. Chad sighs and chuckles. "You're hilarious when you sleep."

"Pssh. Your face." I snap back; a lame retort that causes Chad to laugh again.

"Someone's cranky after sleep."

I push his comment aside, "Whadaya want, Cooper?" I ask sleepily, rubbing my right eye.

"Mom found a flight to Wisconsin. There's a few spare seats on a flight this afternoon – we gotta move."

Chad pulls me up onto my feet. I remember where I am now – my living room.

"I went home last night to look for some flights, and lucky for us, there were free seats on this one that leaves at two." Chad is saying. I glance up at the wall clock and pull him to a halt.

"What's wrong?"

"It's six a.m." I observe. Chad shrugs.

"We need to pack." He says with a cheeky smile, pulling me in the direction of my room.

* * *

><p>"Urgh, I hate this."<p>

Chad all but drags me through the airport, tugging my arm along while I loosely hold on to the one suitcase I'm allowed to carry, with my carry-on bag balancing on top of it. Chad insisted on carrying my other two, as his mom was holding one of his and he was the gentleman and he had to be a good boyfriend and blah de blah _blah_. I was too tired to protest at the time, so I gave in and let him fulfil his gentlemanly needs.

"You're insane." Chad mumbles, while charging through the crowds of people like an express train, shooting a cheeky grin over his shoulder at his little carriage. I stick my tongue out in response. "C'mon, Sonny. You can't tell me you've never been to an airport before."

I pull a mock-disgusted face. "Not a _poor people's _one." I cry out in horror, playing up purely for entertainment. Chad rolls his eyes lightly to the ceiling, taking a brief pause to gather himself before he locates our destination and starts tugging me in that direction, like a little tow-boat. I clutch tightly onto my suitcase handle, frightened my grip will loosen and I'll lose it in the storm that is this crowd.

"Plenty of celebrities use LAX, Sonny; you're being insane."

"But I usually use private jets," I inform my boyfriend, "I've never even sat any lower than first class before."

Chad shoots me a mischievous grin, "Well, then, this'll be a fun experience, won't it?"

"I like it better in first class, though." I carp, letting out a moan of disgust. "It won't be _fun – _it'll be like camping. Going back to your inner roots and stuff. _Yuck_."

Chad laughs, "Who awakened the beast today, then?"

"No-one." I yawn, "I just feel like being annoying. And hey, you have no right to talk, after you robbed _La Luna Bella_ and kissed some chick. Someone's betrayed the good side turned to the ways of evil. How do ya like it?"

The express train screeches to a halt. Chad turns back to face me, a scowl darkening his face. I swallow hard. That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for.

"Sorry." I whisper, gifting him with a smile, "Kidding. I know you didn't do it."

"Mm-hmm." He murmurs, his eyes falling to the ground, "I did it in the eyes of the workers there." Before I can protest, Chad slowly gets started again. He looks to his left, spotting his mother among all the normal people, and jogs over to her, giving me no choice but to weirdly skip over along with him, with my carry-on nearly jumping off my suitcase in an effort to escape being brutally and repetitively sky-rocketed into the air.

"Found the queue yet, Mom?" Chad asks his blonde mother, who nods and points to the opposite side of the room. My jaw drops.

_"NO!"_

Chad rolls his eyes, "It's called a queue, Miss Munroe. Ever heard of 'em?"

"Yeah. The devil invented them to get on everyone's nerves and let them _die_ of boredom."

"Oh, it's not that bad." He says hesitantly.

"It freakin _is." _I retort, my eyes not blinking as I examine the line that seems to start down the hall and end about a mile away. The queue is rounded around, like a snake or something, before it continues to the left and out of my view. I gulp.

"You're exaggerating." Chad comments, like he can hear my thoughts, and drags me towards the queue.

"When I fly somewhere I fly in a private jet." I blabber, "There are like, twenty people on board. The longest I've had to queue for is five minutes." I drop dramatically to my knees, "_Don't make me do it!"_

Earning odd stares from surrounding civilians, I smirk a little. Chad, on the other hand, rolls his eyes yet _again; _particularly when one open-eyed, staring woman snaps a picture of us. Some people start to whisper and point. Chad swallows, lifting me up from under my arms.

"Sonny, don't cause a scene. You're like a five year-old." He whispers in my ear. "This is an airport, not Melody Falls."

I shrug, "I have a week off. At least gimme some space to rant out this monologue building in my chest."

"You get ten-thirty, tomorrow night, in front of a trash can in an alleyway where no-one can see you." He murmurs into my ear, "I know you're bored, but stop being a drama queen. I've had one embarrassing experience this week, and I don't need another. And all these people are whispering - I bet they know about it."

"Relax. These people are probably just whispering because they're fans."

"Then why are they staring?"

"Because they're _fans." _I shrug, "They _stare. _You've been in Hollywood long enough to know that."

Before Chad can retort or say anything to prove me wrong, some kid, with raven hair and brown eyes, who looks no older than ten, bounces closer to us, leaving the circle that has formed around us.

"I know you." He says, pointing at Chad. Chad gives the boy a half-hearted smile. He then points his finger at me, "I know you too."

I smile more broadly, putting on my pleased-to-meet-you act. "Sonny Munroe!" I chirp, flicking back my hair, before putting an arm around Chad, "And this is Chad Dylan Cooper. You probably know us from TV?"

The kid strokes his chin in thought, "Yeah." He murmurs, "Yeah, yeah, that's right." He then turns his focus back to Chad. "My big sister said you cheated, though."

Chad's eyes bulge. His cheeks turn red and he looks like he could and would spontaneously combust any second now. "Oh, I did?" He replies nervously. The kid, oblivious to Chad's discomfort, nods. He then leans in really close, beckoning Chad over.

"Did you cheat playing checkers?" He whispers secretively, "I did that once."

Chad pulls a face of despair, "Look, kid-"

"Johnny, c'mon, we've gotta move..."

An older girl, with similar raven-black hair and bright blue eyes approaches the boy. She looks fifteen, sixteen - closer to me and Chad than the little boy, age-wise. She puts her hands on his shoulders, but freezes when she catches sight of Chad and me.

"Oh my gosh..." She murmurs.

"In the flesh." I smile, elbowing Chad. 'See?' I want to tell him, 'She's certainly a fan'.

The girl scoffs, "Hi. Name's Kim. And I know you guys..." She grins, making her hands into a love-heart, "Channy forever!" She squeals.

Chad blushes uncomfortably, but at least this conversation is better than the one with her (presumed) little brother.

"Thanks." He mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, I'm just sooo glad to see you guys out!" Kim continues, "Like, together. When the news broke out, Sonny, I thought you two were breaking up for good!"

"...The what?"

"She cried when you cheated." The little boy, Johnny, interjects, "Dunno why though. Cheating on checkers isn't too bad. So long as you hide it really well and clean up your room for Mom."

Kim rolls her eyes to the ceiling, "Johnny, stop helping. You sound insane."

"Hold on, wait, wait..." I wave my arms around, "...Kim?"

Her eyes light up, "You know my name!" She squeaks.

I ignore her comment, "...What news?"

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it..." Chad stares in fear and dread at the cell phone in his hand, while we try to pass the time in this overly long queue by looking at the Tween Weekly online article Kim told us about.<p>

"Is it bad?" I ask, biting a nail.

"Bad enough." Chad sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "'_Cooper's Crazy Night'_." He reads unenthusiastically, "_'So Random's Chad Dylan Cooper hits it off with a group of girls after his date with Sonny Munroe turns sour._'"

My mouth coincidentally turns sour at the words. "Dammit." I mumble, kicking my suitcase. "I thought that was all behind us."

Chad heaves out a sigh, "'Fraid not." He mumbles, "It's probably only just beginning."

* * *

><p>The plane ride is slow, and long, and Chad and I sit in silence for the most part, watching some cheesy Disney film put on to keep kids on the flight busy; <em>The Little Mermaid.<em> It's one of the classics from before even I was born though, where everyone breaks into song and dance and true love really does exist, no matter what evil witch or magical spell or manipulative magazine article stands in the way of it.

Oh how I love those cheesy old Disney films.

I sit there during the witch - Ursula's - solo, _'Poor Unfortunate Souls'_, and sigh. The media just won't quit being the evil spell-caster who drives Chad and I apart, will they? Like Ursula, they claim to be on our side, they claim to be trying to help, when in the end they will manipulate us and change us into something we're not; an event that could either cause our happy ending, or, if they have it their way, end up turning us into nothing and destroying us once and for all.

It feels like that, sometimes. That Chad and I are just like the willing, desperate merfolk who approach Ursula, wanting her to turn us into stars and give us our dreams when, in the end, if we play our cards wrong, we'll end up with the opposite of what we originally wanted.

And I know that they're just doing their job, but at what cost? How low do the media have to scoop to get a story so risky, so shocking, that they can make enough money to get through daily life?

It terrifies me to even think about. That our mistakes and issues that dent our reputations are what gives a family a meal every day.

My head aching, I decide to sleep after the movie. Ursula is destroyed and Ariel gets her prince and they all live happily ever after...

And I find myself dreaming. Dreaming that Chad and I have that exact happy ending. The beast is vanquished, the day is saved, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Why can't real life be as simple as the good old fairy tales?

* * *

><p>…<p>

The problem with the world of dreams, is that it easily changes from one thing to another. You can be living in your world of bliss, with your prince and everything you ever wanted. Your happily ever after. But, so long as you have an overactive imagination and a lot of fears and insecurities and, well, an active brain, it never really is the "happy ending" in dreams. Sometimes, one second you can be having one dream, and the next you can be still in dream land, but in a totally different dimension. It's like a totally messed-up book, where one plot-line strings into another, which strings into another - like some kid has torn all of the pages out and messed them up, so the stories are all jumbled and intertwined.

It's kind of scary. No-one really understands the world of dreams – it's funny. The world of dreams is like some strange, parallel universe, where anything can happen. Anything can happen, and that anything can have either very little, or a very _large_ effect on you.

My typical Disney princess dress in my dream fades. I'm partially grateful – if anyone ever found out that I'd had a dream where I'd been in a puffy, fluffy pink dress, wearing a little tiara, they'd call me a child. But hey, you can't change the world of dreams, right? It has laws of its own, and _everything_ seems to have its own meaning, if you look really close.

Well, it does for me.

I look around at my blurry surroundings. I'm on someone's front yard. It's too blurry to make out whose, but it has a lovely green-grass from end to end, and a few shrubs and bushes lining the house. The door is black, and the house is a brick one. There are windows on each side of the door. A girl's head can be seen in the left window. A girl with brunette hair. The girl is smiling, watching out for something. Some_one._

A car horn beeps behind me. I recognise it immediately.

Chad sticks his head out of the window of the car, waving in my direction. He, unlike the rest of the scene, is not fuzzy. I can easily make out every dimple, every hair on his head, his shiny teeth that sparkle as he speaks.

"You coming?" He shouts, beckoning me closer with his hand. Eager, I take a few steps closer. I reach for the door handle, but my hand goes straight through the handle. Confused, I reach for the door handle again, and again, my hand goes straight through it, like a ghost's. I look at my hand, and it seems even blurrier than my surroundings. It looks like your reflection does when you run your hand through the water – shaky, disjointed.

Weird.

Like I'm not even really there.

Like I don't even really matter.

I shudder suddenly. I realise someone else's hand is touching the handle of the car. Someone passes through my ghostly figure. The door swings open, and I brace myself as it is coming straight towards me. But it, like the door handle, and the person, goes straight through me.

I watch the brunette girl climb into Chad's car. He smiles at her, like he doesn't even see me. I knock on his window, but he seems oblivious to the sound. The more I bang on the window, the quieter the volume gets.

"Chad!" I call, but it is merely a whisper. Suddenly, Chad becomes only the same as the rest of the world – a blur – and the sound of an engine floods my ears. Not a car engine, but a much larger one. An aeroplane. A ding alerts me that I'm supposed to be listening to some sort of announcement. It sounds like the pilot's voice we were introduced to at the beginning of the flight.

I must be waking up.

I bite my lip, watching as Chad drives away, as the imagine loses its colour, its tone, until there is nothing but black. Groaning, I open my eyes. Chad is beside me, snoring quietly, his eyes shut. I close my own eyes again, resting them.

The thing with dreams, is that they can have a really big effect on you, if you're not careful. But not with me. I've got used to them, especially in the last few years. When Chad arrived and he became my friend and Tawni hated me and I was stuck on my feelings for Chad and afraid he would leave, dreams were a large part of my mind. They took over my every thought – poisoning everything I said or felt because I was afraid that the harsh words I heard in dreams would someday come into reality.

I'm not scared anymore, though. Not anymore. I push every dream to the back of my mind and turn off their existence like a light switch. Chad is mine. I am his. We are now a couple and I'm off to meet his family and everything is going to be perfect between us, despite what happened on our disastrous last day in Hollywood.

We're going to be in Wisconsin. Everything is going to be perfect in Wisconsin, away from the limelight and the fans and the paparazzi and the craziness that comes with our lives.

Right?

* * *

><p>I'm kind of already braced for any reaction we will get when we reach the little neighbourhood in Appleton, Wisconsin. And that's only because Chad spent, like, from the moment we got off the plane up until now educating me on his family's (cough, friends', cough) likely reactions. Chad can read his friends like a book, like they have some kind of telepathy-like connection so they can hear each other's thoughts or something, like werewolves. (<strong>AN: Last Twilight reference ever, I swear :P)**

Chad's hands twitch in his lap uncomfortably, nervously. My own hand makes a break for his, in an attempt to comfort him. He smiles gently, gripping my hand in his as the twitching stops.

"This should be…" He trails off.

"Enjoyable?" I suggest, "Riveting? Entertaining at the very least?"

"Scary, at the very least." Chad scoffs out, "Just remember, the second you see three buttheads who look about my age running your way-"

"Run and don't stop." I finish, mocking. "I know. I have pretty much all of it noted down in my brain like a notepad."

Chad grins, "You have a good memory."

"Nah," I waft my hand around, "You just won't shut up about it. I'll make a good impression, I promise. No need to worry about me."

His eyes turn dark, "It's not _you _I'm worried about…"

I decide not to give him the agony by replying to that.

A friendly sign welcomes us to Appleton as Chad's Mom drives us down a sweet, calm-looking neighbourhood, like the welcoming little suburban areas you see in movies and on TV; lined with greenery and grass and trees and little houses that you find in perfect little picture books that kids enjoy, with some kind of flower or vegetable garden in nearly every front yard and neatly-painted fences that protect the precious little houses from the outside world. They're like each family's personal bubble. Some of the houses are even surrounded by shrubbery; and my favourite that I see has white-washed walls and roses vines lining the doorway; the buds eagerly awaiting the perfect time of year to bloom.

Mrs Cooper rounds a corner skilfully, shooting a smile back at Chad and I who are in the back seats of the little red Volvo she rented for our time here.

"We're almost there, Sonny!" She enlightens excitedly, a smile spreading her lovely, friendly features, with a lock of her blonde hair fallen astray from her neatly done-up bun.

"Where are we gonna be staying?" I ask curiously.

"Oh, with my dad." Chad enlightens, smiling excitedly.

"Oh, really?" I reply, slightly taken aback. Chad's mom gives me a kind smile.

"I know what you're thinking, but don't worry. Chad's dad and me are totally comfortable around each other… we won't embarrass anyone or kick up a fuss or anything!"

"And Mom's gonna be sleeping at her mom's house down the road anyway, 'cos dad's spare room can only fit one person and I've offered to sleep on the couch." His smile turns devilish and he adds sharply, "So _you_ can't offer to."

I scoff, "Damn you and your gentlemanly ways."

Mrs Cooper chuckles, "It'll be nice for me to stay with my mother, though. I don't mind. So long as you two behave for your father!"

"Mooom…" Chad moans, "C'mon, it's _me_."

"And this is me, sweetie." Mrs Cooper retorts, "I'm a mother. It's my _job _to boss you around and make sure you _behave_." Chad pulls a face in response, and Mrs Cooper laughs, slowing down the car as she rounds the final corner on our journey.

Chad kisses me on the top of the head, smiling hugely, his grip tightening on my hand.

"Here we go!" He cheers. My palms suddenly feel very sweaty, my heart begins racing, and my head thumps against the skull.

Time to meet the family.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ha, we'll be meeting the family next chapter. I felt like stopping there and finally getting this update up here for you guys to read :) **

**So, what did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed it! And remember, constructive criticism and reviews are always welcome, even from all you anons out there! :)**

**I just had to reference Twilight. I couldn't pass it up. And _Poor Unfortunate Souls _from The Little Mermaid is one damn catchy song, by the way :D**

**See you guys next update! Hopefully by then we'll have 800 reviews! *le finger cross***

**~Amy x**


	51. Wisconsin Welcomings!

**A/N: *blows party blower* This chapter we're celebrating. For three reasons. Uno - we reached 800 reviews last chapter! Two, we reached 100 favourites! And finally, this is, officially, the 50th chapter of Quite the Opposite! Half of a hundred! What a milestone! I wanna thank all you guys for this year-and-a-bit full of gloriousness and I'm so glad that QTO has become as popular as this. I seriously never expected such a great reception for this story, so thank you all very much! The chapter is dedicated to EVERYONE who has read, reviewed, favourited, or alerted this story at any time, whether from the beginning or only just recently! This is for YOU! :D**

**darksaber92 - Haha, I'm honoured! :D**

**BIG THANK YOU TO IAmSrak for being my 800th reviewer! You rule :D**

**I didn't own Sonny with a Chance 50 chapters ago, and I don't now. I do, however, own Chad's friends and his parents mentioned in this episode. Yay for family and friendship! xD**

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><p><strong>Chapter 50 - Wisconsin Welcomings!<strong>

Sonny's POV

I think I just about jump out of my skin when three young-looking guys charge up to the car, surrounding it like zombies in some kind of apocalyptic attack. I make a dive for Chad's hand, and he just lets out an insensitive laugh, wiping at his eye like he's wiping away an invisible tear.

"Ah, so these are the monsters you warned me about, huh?"

He wiggles his eyebrows, "Brace yourself." He simply warns.

I have precisely three seconds before the doors on each side of the back of the car (both mine, and Chad's) are swung open and, in a lightning-speeded moment, my seatbelt is yanked out of it's socket and I'm thrown into a mash of arms and torsos of guys that I've never even met before.

Spluttering a random choke, I look above my head to try and get a glimpse of my attackers, but everything moves so quickly that I hardly realise that I've been dragged about five feet from where I got out. Distorted, I rub my head, only regaining total focus when I hear the only familiar voice, yelling protectively, "Guys, you're overwhelming her!"

A warm hand clutches my arm and tugs me out of the crazy mix of arms and torsos and tenor, male laughter. The sound of best friends having a laugh together. The body next to me, the only familiar one within all this craziness (and the only sane one, it seems), clears his throat, as if assuming a leading position. The three male bodies turn to face him, like soldiers to a commander, only not so serious and formal. One is still snickering, while the one to his right elbows his friend in the gut, like addressing some inside joke.

Chad's expression doesn't falter. Being the presumed "leader" of the group, he gives each member of his pack a long, hard glare. After a while, he opens his mouth wide to speak.

"You guys are insane." He concludes after a while, folding his arms, still clutching my hand protectively. His warm touch is somewhat comforting among all the madness.

Chad continues with the hostile act for precisely three more seconds before the guy on the left yells, "Nice to see you too, Grumpy Pants!"

Chad breaks into a shy smirk, rubbing his tongue across the teeth in his closed mouth slowly, like he usually does in thought. He takes a deep breath, and the three boys lean in closer, waiting for his 'OK'.

The commander finally breaks into an informal chuckle, "I'd rather be grumpy than mental in the head." He retorts. The boys chorus a respective _"OHHH!_" and pound Chad on his back as he is thrown into a large group-hug, chuckling. A group-hug I fear I'd get lost in. Chad _is _taller than me, and damn, so are his friends. Every one of them. Especially the guy on the right, with black hair – he's even taller than Chad. Who, by the way, I swear has grown a couple of inches since we met, while I've stayed tiny as ever.

Almost as if he can read my thoughts, one guy, who is about Chad's height, with mocha-skin and cheeky eyes turns to face me with a freaky, overly-wide grin and says, "And does your gorgeous girlfriend wanna join the bear hug too? We'll be careful, promise."

Chad shoots him a glare, but it's not at all serious. The protective edge is in there, somewhere, but over it all just lies the gladness to be back with his friends. "You're not touching her, Jake." He warns, and the guy groans.

"Damn."

"Too bad." The guy to Jake's left agrees. "She's even more gorgeous in real life."

"Yeah, well she's _my_ gorgeous girlfriend, so, uh, it ain't gonna happen." Chad states, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to prove his point and smiling smugly at his friends. Normally I'd object to being, well… objectified, but I refrain. Chad's only reacting this way because of his friend's cheeky banter, and objectifying me like a trophy is not something he's usually do. Plus, he's enjoying his moment of being one-over on his friends, so it seems. There's a layer of competitiveness; something I see constantly among actors. Especially in the small-minded world of the Falls, where being the Alpha is the ultimate essential. If you're not top-quality, you're out; no ifs, no buts.

It's kind of sad, how the best are shot right up to the top while the others are left in their dust, not even given a chance.

The last guy speaks – a brunet. He gives me a warmer smile than the cheeky one the other guys gave me.

"It's nice to meet you, Sonny Munroe. My name's Daniel, but everyone just calls me Danny." He says, holding out a hand for me to shake. I do so, giving him a smile back. "It's really cool that you're dating Chad."

Jake nods in the back, "He's crushed on you for forever."

Chad turns pink, "She didn't need to know that." He mumbles, removing his arm from my shoulders. Despite his sudden shyness, the boys smile at Chad, almost in respect. Despite Chad being probably the shortest, they still look at him as if looking at a 7-foot superhero – in awe, admiration. Of course, that flees in two seconds as the tallest one, with ink-black spiky hair, steps forward and holds his hand out for me to shake, while he smirks audaciously.

"Terence White." He announces, putting on a snooty voice. I laugh and shake his hand, only for him to kiss it. Chad glares at him, bro-punching him on the arm.

"And I guess you kinda know Jake's name…" Chad comments. Jake stands forward.

"Jacob. But you can call me Jake, if you want." He confirms, winking at me, "Or whatever you want. Good to meet yah, beautiful." I smile at him friendlily.

"_Guyyys_!" Chad carps, replacing his arm over my shoulders in a protective gesture, "Stop charming my girl."

His whiny ten year-old tone makes me even more comfortable as I laugh alongside his friends. They all shoot me a smile.

"Hey, Chaddyo, you gonna introduce your girlfriend to your daddy?" Jacob asks.

"Is Dad here?" Chad asks back with a smile. The boys point to the door, where Chad's mom is talking to a blonde man in the doorway whose features fit Chad to a T. The hair colour, the smile, and those eyes – bright and blue; can see them even all the way over here. He's smiling, warm and friendly, despite talking to his ex-wife, and his whole aura reflects him as being a kind, gentle man before I've even met him. Chad's eyes just about light up with glee. If his friends weren't around, he probably would've done the whole run-into-daddy's-arms thing and jumped at the guy. Instead, he grabs my hand and gives me the same affectionate smile I see radiating off of his father, and bundles towards the front door of the house. He stands there at the side, smiling, waiting for his mother and father to finish speaking.

The name pops to my head – Goldfarb. Chad told me a while back that that was his father's name and had been his own name until his mom and dad divorced. I look between the father and the son and scoff. Well, his name may be Chad Dylan Cooper, but there's no doubt that my boyfriend's a Goldfarb, through and through.

I take this as a chance to take in my surroundings. The house is nice, sweet; the front is clearly bricked, and a little concrete path leads from the front of the yard up to the door, with a concrete step just at the foot of the door. The grass at my feet is nicely cut and weeded and clearly taken care of, and surrounding the whole front yard is a wooden fence, only waist-height, painted a glossy black. It's surprising to see a few little flowerbeds at the foot of the house too – you wouldn't suspect a man, living alone, to care about flowers and weeding and keeping the yard nice and clean. Well, at least, not _this_ clean.

I turn back to the man, who is still giving his ex-wife that kind, gentle smile. She's smiling right back too, and I notice just how comfortable Chad's Mom and Dad really are around each other. They're not husband and wife, but they give off no aura of being ex-lovers – they don't display any emotions of hate or malice or disgust. There is no hint of any kind of anger or grudge or pain. Their kind eyes and gentle words and happy laughs show that, despite their split, they were mature enough and close enough to each other's hearts to remain close. To remain friends.

A chorus of coos in my head and heart is suddenly followed by a stabbing pain, as the insecure, _Sonny Munroe _part of my brain awakens.

_My _parents couldn't patch things together. They couldn't remain close. My mother doesn't even know where my father _is _right now; _has been _for the last few _years_.

It pains me to make comparisons between Chad's father and my father – I feel sick with envy at how fortunate Chad is to have a father who loves him, a mother who cares; parents who, despite being split, are still together, in a sense. Still close, still friendly. Still okay with the sight of each other – something I know my immature parents could _never _be capable of.

Chad's Mom steps down from the concrete step, making way for Chad to step onto it. Chad's hand is still wrapped around mine though, and so I end up following him up as he gives his dad a friendly man-hug, leaving me to be hanging awkwardly on the edge. The hug doesn't last long though, and when Chad and his father finish exchanging the "hey's" and "good to see you's" and "it's been too long's", said father turns his attention onto me. He graces me with that same sweet smile that I see reflected on his son, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"Hello there," He greets me formally and benevolently, "I'm guessing you're Sonny Munroe?"

"That's me!" I confirm, adding a well-mannered smile to seal the deal. The kindness in Mr Goldfarb's eyes makes them sparkle.

"Chad's girlfriend, right?"

"Right again, sir."

"Hey, now what's with the formalities?" Mr Goldfarb chuckles, holding his hands up jokingly, "Name's Damien. Just call me Damien."

"Damien." I agree.

"Or Dad, if you prefer."

I swallow, "I have a Dad. A bad one at that, but I have one."

Mr Goldfarb frowns, "Sorry."

I shake my head, not wanting to take out my father problems on someone as warm-hearted and genuinely great as Damien.

"It's okay Mist- _Damien…_" I pause. "_Dad_." I add on the end for good measure.

His eyes light up. I examine Mr Goldfarb's friendly features; the bright blue eyes, the blonde hair, the familiar smile… and I find comfort. I find _home_ in him. I feel like I've found somewhere I truly belong.

With the Coopers (slash Goldfarbs).

A large hand suddenly ruffles my hair, and shoves past me so quickly that I almost lose my balance and fall off the step.

"I CALL DIBS ON THE FRIDGE!" The figure yells, with another running after him and complaining that "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" and the third chasing after them both muttering something about _legit weirdos._

Mr Goldfarb grabs my wrist to stop me from falling, rolling his eyes light-heartedly.

"Your friends, Chad…" He sighs to his son. Chad shoots him a look with those perfectly reflected eyes, the eyes I previously assumed he got from his mother, but now I'm certain he got from his father. The look he shoots him is clearly one shared by the two of them, seeing as they have the same eyes and all they probably both use it.

It reads _'I hear ya'. _

"Hey, you guys know, just because I'm back in town doesn't mean you can eat from my dad's fridge!" Chad yells after his friends.

"'Course it does!" A husky voice shoots back – Jacob's. "It's in the friendship handbook."

"…The what?"

There is a long pause in response. Jacob laughs, "Man, you suck. We missed you and your cluelessness."

"I could say the same about you." Chad retorts, turning to face me as I just about regain my balance, "Don't you know it's rude to knock over a lady?"

"What lady?" Terence's voice interjects, followed by Jacob's chuckle, and then a sound of a whack and an '_ouch'_ from the both of them. I grin.

"Sorry, Sonny!" Danny's kinder, smoother voice yells, "These _dumbasses _wouldn't know manners if they whacked them in the face and yelled _I'm right here!_"

Chuckling, Chad wraps an arm back around my shoulder and leads me in the front door, with Mr Goldfarb – _Damien – _following behind, and Ms Cooper behind him.

The house is small and simple. The moment you enter, you are led down a narrow, homey hallway, painted a deep green on the walls. The hallway ends and separates off three ways, like a maze – to the left is the living room, to the right is the kitchen, and forward leads to a downstairs toilet, tucked behind the kitchen, and a staircase leading upstairs. There's also a glass double-door leading to the back garden, which looks just like the front garden – homey and sweet. The grass is well-cut, the fences are painted a nice green colour, and a washing line drapes across the grassy area. There's a patio separating the grass and the house; concrete, like the path in the front, and there are a couple of vegetable plants and bean stalks and strawberry plants in pots, all in a neat line alongside the fence on the right side of the garden.

The munching behind us alerts me to Chad's friends' presence. Jacob and Terence have various snacks cradled in their arms, while Danny shoots Chad an _"I couldn't stop them" _look that makes me giggle.

"Okay, _dorks_, you gotta leave now so Sonny can get settled." Chad orders, ushering his friends out like a security guard while the boys moan and protest.

"No fair, dude." Jacob moans.

"Life ain't fair." Chad replies in monotone. The boys groan.

"Since when did you become boring?"

"When did you become whiny?" Chad retaliates.

The argument (sorta) continues until Chad can finally lead the distracted boys out of the door and slam it on them. He turns back to me with an exhausted whistle.

"So… let's get you to your room!"

* * *

><p>A few hours later and it's midnight, and I'm lying in the bed of Chad's old room when he used to live here prior to moving to Hollywood. I insisted that he take his room and I take the couch, but being such an old-fashioned gentleman the guy would not cave in. So here I am, lying in the comfy little bed with a blue duvet that his dad found in the loft and a pillows that are so flat and overused that I have to pile two or three on top of each other just to stay comfy. Chad claims that he's fine with having just one pillow that's only two inches high, but I like having a lot more support, and Chad was willing to supply any extra pillow to help his lady. He even offered to give up the one he was using down on the couch, and I smacked him lightly and politely told him no.<p>

Lying on my back, my head pretty much parallel to the ceiling, I let out a deep sigh as I tell myself for the fifth time in about an hour that it's not gonna work and I'm not gonna sleep tonight.

I hate not being able to sleep some nights. Why did I have to torture myself and sleep on the plane? _Why? _

And now I'm not sleeping. Well, at least there are no nightmares in consciousness. At least in this world I can only think about what's bugging me while in the dream world I can see it, feel it.

Puffing, I sit up and look around Chad's room. The dark blue curtains shut out any possibility of moonshine light and the door is closed so I'm only getting a little light coming in from underneath there. The room is pretty much almost pitch-black, but I can still make out the old bookcase full of a bunch of Chad's old childhood books and trinkets that Chad neglected to take to Hollywood and Damien refused to put away, and I can still make out the door right opposite me, thanks to the faded, tiny light coming from the centimetre of space at the bottom.

Throwing the duvet off of my body, I shakily get up out of the bed, shivering in a purple bed T-shirt. I slip on a pair of grey sweats lying in my open suitcase at the foot of the bed, and tug on a black cardigan to warm myself up a little. Wisconsin is _much _colder than California; that's for sure.

I open the door, cringing as it creaks. Damien's room is just beside mine, and so I fear that I'll wake him up, but Chad promised that he's a light sleeper and so I don't panic so much. Creeping down the stairs, I then pass the living room and enter the kitchen, thirsty. I avoid the living room fully, not wanting to wake Chad in his makeshift bed. I don't even peak inside to observe him sleeping, and when I realise how creepy that really sounds, I head back up the stairs with my cup of water without a backwards glance.

Thinking I've got away with it, I'm shocked a little as I bump into a sleepy, but still smiling Damien.

"Oh, hello, Sonny." He clears his throat, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I thought I heard you moving around."

I cringe. Busted. "Did I wake you up?"

Damien shrugs. "I was just dozing off."

I bite my lip. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He smiles, his eyes coming into contact with the glass in my hand, "You were thirsty?"

"Oh…" I drop my gaze to the glass. "Uh, yeah."

"No need to be ashamed or anything." Damien chuckles. I make eye contact with him again.

"Sorry. I just…" I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear nervously, "…Sorry."

"You've no need to be sorry, Sonny." Damien comforts me, folding his arms across his chest. "Can't sleep?" I nod, a well-timed yawn escaping my mouth to prove my point. He lets out a small chuckle.

"Need to talk?"

After a little hesitation this time, I shake my head.

"Sure?" Damien raises an eyebrow, "I used to do this all the time for Chad. If he couldn't sleep he'd go downstairs for a drink and he'd wake me up on the way, and I'd offer to talk with him about whatever was keeping him up, and usually talking tuckered the kid out and he was out like a light."

I smile at the image of Chad as a little kid in footie pyjamas in my mind, cradling a brown teddy bear and a little cup of milk in his hands, rubbing his eyes tiredly while his father told him stories and talked with him until the early hours when they were both just about ready to pass out. I then imagine my father doing the exact same thing for me when I was a kid, and it seems out of place, mismatched. Chad's father is a sweet, kind man who would do anything for his child – something I doubt I could ever honestly say for my father.

I swallow the bitter thoughts of the man who abandoned me and return Damien's warm smile. "Thanks, Mr Goldfarb, but I don't wanna keep you awake."

"Don't be silly, Sonny. Just take a seat on the bed and tell me what's up. I don't bite."

Unable to politely reject anymore, I walk into 'my' room with Mr Goldfarb following behind. I slump down onto the foot of the bed and he sits beside me, his young face smiling despite the late hour.

"So, what's eating you, Sonny?" He asks as I take a sip of my water to give myself thinking time.

"I just…" I pause. Do I really want to throw the load that is my family problems onto Mr Goldfarb's shoulders for him to carry too? It's bad enough that I gave such a heavy load to Chad without submitting his father to such pain too. I don't know about him, but if someone I'd known for half a day told me their entire life story I think I'd be more than a little freaked out.

But this is Damien Goldfarb, the man who raised Chad Dylan Cooper into the sweet, caring, considerate boy he is. Chad listened, Chad understood… maybe his father will too? And I don't have to give him the whole story; just the basic details.

"I've just been thinking." I confess, "About my dad."

"Oh. You mentioned him earlier." Chad's Dad recalls.

"Yeah." I put the drink on the floor and place my hands in my lap, "Just… please don't take this the wrong way, but visiting you has just reminded me of him."

"How so?"

I take a deep breath, "Well… just because he's my dad; you're a dad. But he left me and my mum when I was younger. No warning, no address, no nothing. I haven't really heard from him since."

Mr Goldfarb's features are flooded with pity. I don't like pity, but coming from someone like him it almost doesn't really bother me. "I'm sorry." He sighs, "I can see why you didn't want to talk about it."

"Oh, it's okay." I try to assure him in a soft voice, "He was an idiot. And it doesn't matter anymore – I used to act all awful after he left. I was a bit of a mess. But… thanks to your son, I'm not anymore."

Damien grins proudly, "Well, he's a good kid."

"A really good kid." I agree, "You must be proud to have raised him."

"I am." Damien nods, "Really, if he's helping someone the way he seems to be helping you. You know, his mother was worried he'd get lost in the big fancy lights and cameras of Los Angeles; that's why she went with him, 'cos she was worried and wanted to be able to see him every day to check he wasn't taking drugs or something." His grin turns the closest to smug it could get, "I knew he'd fit right in. I guess he's found somewhere he belongs – a job, friends, a girlfriend…"

I find myself blushing. Mr Goldfarb halts his speaking.

"I'm probably getting on your nerves, gloating about my son like this."

"Don't worry!" I chuckle, loud enough I'm worried it'll wake Chad. "You have reason to gloat; your son's incredible, you're still friends with your ex-wife…"

"Ah." He clicks his tongue, "Yes, Dianne."

"I wish my parents could still get along after their divorce." I say, my shoulders suddenly slumping, "Then maybe I could see my dad again, rather than feeling like I don't matter to him."

Damien hesitates, before putting a hand on my back for a couple of seconds, stroking it in a fatherly gesture, "Hey, come on now, Sonny, don't worry about it." He says sweetly, "I know it must be difficult for you that your parents have had such a rocky road. Divorce is a sad thing, and I'm disappointed that I had to go through with it. I was terrified when Dianne and I split that Chad would go mental because of it. We were lucky to get out of it unscathed – or, as much as we could've been." He takes a breather, "What I'm trying to say is… everyone's relationships are different. Your dad and mom must've gone through such a rough spot that they couldn't stand it anymore. But your father is still your father, and whether he's around or not he will still always love you."

"Yeah right." I scoff, before realising my rudeness. I swallow hard.

"He's your father, Sonny." Damien continues, "And you're his daughter. And whether he'll admit it or not, he will always love you. And if not, well, that just shows he was never really fit to be your father in the first place. I mean, why would he leave his beautiful daughter without one of the most important men in her life?" His tone is now joking. "Man must've had a screw loose."

I chuckle again, truly this time. I haven't had a father-daughter talk in six years, and I miss them so much. And I'd rather call Damien my father over my real father any day.

"Thank you, Damien." I say, "Chad's lucky to have you as a dad."

Another warm smile, "No problem, Sonny. You tired?"

I yawn, "…Clearly, yes."

He chuckles, getting up from his seat, "Alright. Sleep well, Sonny."

He closes the door behind him and I watch him and smile. "Goodnight." I say to the empty room, snuggling back into the bed and fading into sleep before I even know it.

Tawni's POV

I swallow hard.

"What do you mean, _no?_" The tall figure in front of me folds his arms. I don't know why I feel fear, but it's sickly and horrible in my stomach, making me want to hurl. I really didn't want to be here tonight, but I had no other option than to come here and tell James that I couldn't be part of his little plot to break up Sonny and Chad.

I will _not _betray Chad. No matter how much I want to.

"I got your letter, and the answer to it is thank you, but no." I say, keeping a straight face.

James scoffs, like he can't quite believe it, "But you hate Munroe." He tries to remind me.

"So what?" I retort, "Chad is like my brother, and I will not disrespect him behind his back. No matter what you say."

James lets out something close to a growl, sticking his hands in his jeans pockets. "I shoulda known you were just some sappy loser, Tawni."

My eye twitches, "Excuse me?"

"You're pathetic, you know that?" He barks, "Ya know, I thought you were a smart girl, I thought you'd make the right choice. Clearly I was wrong."

I clench my fists and take deep breaths to keep my cool, "Too bad." I say, "And now you'll have to carry out your little plan on your own."

James' twisted smirk lights up his face, "Oh, I think you'll find that you're sadly mistaken."

I blink, "What do you mean?"

"I have a hand." He admits, "I've had one the whole time. You think this was just some big one-man job?" I nod slightly. "Well, you're wrong."

I gulp, feeling less safe than before. "…Who's your hand?" I ask carefully.

"Well if I told you it wouldn't be fun, would it?" James shrugs, folding his arms across his leather jacket, "C'mon, Tawni. You're smart; you should know we evil geniuses don't reveal our plans to the very last second."

I scoff, "You're weird."

"I'm _clever._" James retorts, "And I'm gonna make sure that, by this time next week, _Channy's _split will be the one thing on every magazine cover."

The way he says 'Channy' makes the name sound like a breed of bug he'd particularly like to squash. I inhale. _One_…_ two… three… four… _"They're in Wisconsin. Away from you." I remind him.

"You think I forgot that?" James barks out a laugh, "Don't worry, babe, I remembered. I'm going back there in a couple o' days, and my accomplice is over there as we speak – been there the whole time, actually. You could call them a… childhood friend."

I put on a tough act, "You don't have friends!"

He smirks, _"You don't have friends…" _He mocks me. "Believe me, Tawni, this'll all be over soon enough. Just a shame you won't be having any input into it… I thought you were smart, but turns out you're just as idiotic as Sonny and Chad."

A growl emits from deep in my core, "_Shut up." _

He grins, almost evilly. "You'll see soon, Tawni." He promises, "Sonny and Chad'll be broken up soon enough. And then, you'll thank me."

I shake my head. He's insane. "I'm calling Chad-"

I take out my phone, but James grabs it from me, throws it on the floor, and stomps on it. He gives me a smug grin.

"Oops."

"Hey, you just-"

"And remember, Tawni," He interrupts, "You can _always _change your mind."

And before I can scream at him, he turns and walks off without so much as a backwards glance.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ohhhhhh... So what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? I dunno 'bout you, but I despise James. He's eeeevil... **

**So what will happen next? How will Channy's time in Wisconsin go? What will happen with James? Will Tawni try to stop him or will she give in and help him anyway? And will Sonny fit in with Chad's awesome, but insane, friends?**

**Stay tuned to find out! Peace, **

**~Amy x**


	52. Sassy Sequins and Meatball Maniacs

**A/N: Hellooo~ my wonderful readers whom I love :D**

**So I'm updating. It's half term and I'm at home chilling. I will try to update Lost Soul again this week, I swear it's almost done. **

**So I'm excited for this chapter. It's gonna be fun to see your reactions... so remember to review! ;D Reviewing gets you a cookie! (A _virtual _cookie. Yup. I'm not afraid to play the virtual tasty snacks card :P)**

Hehe **- I like your theory... we will see if you're right sooner or later...**

CDCTheRandomWizard23** - Well I do like 1D, ha :P **

**Keep calm and read on~**

** Chad's POV 'cos I haven't written him in forever :P**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 51 - Sassy Sequins and Meatball Maniacs<strong>

Chad's POV

"So we have a tradition," Jacob is explaining to Sonny, who is sat next to me in the back of his car. Danny, the only other trustworthy one, is on Sonny's other side, and Terence is in the front with Jacob. "Whenever someone joins our crew, they gotta do somethin' first. It's like a right of passage. Do it, you're in – don't, and you gotta go."

"And don't think 'cos your Chad's girl and a hot celebrity, we're gonna go easy on you." Terence warns, "You're gonna have to have as much fun as the rest of us did."

"Oh, I bet she's exploding with excitement." Danny mumbles sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Sonny. Something unsettling jolts my stomach.

"Guys, I'm not sure about this."

"Why not? 'Cos you're worried that your girl's gonna do better than you did?" Jacob jokes, earning a high-five from Terence.

"No."

I'm _actually _worried because the last time I went out somewhere I was accused of robbing a restaurant, but I don't say this out loud. I mean, who knows how much damage has been done to my reputation? This poser could've gone round every restaurant in the country, looking like me, doing weird stuff and giving me a bad name. You never know with these creeps.

I can only bet that this guy's out to get me. Whoever he is.

Sonny takes my hand in hers and that relaxes me a little, "So what is this tradition?" She asks curiously.

"Two words." Jacob says slowly. "Meatball. Maniac."

Sonny blinks, "Meatball Maniac…? Is that like, a sandwich or something?"

Terence gasps, "It's not _just _a sandwich!" He defends, "The Meatball Maniac is the biggest, messiest, awesomest sandwich in the whole of Appleton! Its meaty aroma and perfect taste is second only to its awe-inspiring size! I dare you to find a larger sandwich in the whole of this _state_!"

"Yeah, it's just a sandwich." Danny mumbles, causing Sonny and I to snicker.

"Only twelve people have ever finished it without throwing up or giving in, and you have the honour of sitting in a car with _four _of them." Jacob adds smugly. "And your boyfriend was pretty much gagging after eating it, so _I _personally think he should've never made the list in the first place."

It's my turn to joke this time. "Oh, the _horror!_ What will I have if you take my title away from me?" I wail dramatically. Sonny bursts out into full-fledged laughter this time, making me grin and blush kind of ferociously. Terence turns back and scoffs in seeing my cheeks.

"If only I had that whip sound app." He sighs, "It'd be so useful. I can see myself needing it _a lot_ this week." **(A/N: See The Big Bang Theory for reference :P)**

"Shut up," is my dignified and brilliant response.

* * *

><p>A small bell above the door rings as Jacob pushes it open. A few heads turn our way to see the newcomers, while most stay focused on their sandwiches.<p>

_The Medley Hut _is the town's most popular sandwich shops, and its funky 50's-style design, delicious food, and acclaimed 'dangerous' special _Meatball Maniac _just has everyone coming back for more. It was a frequent hang out for me and the boys back before I moved to California, and judging by the smiling faces on the workers and the black, white and red seating which is chocked full of hungry people, its popularity with the public and employees alike has not changed since last July. Well why would it? Despite having only been a restaurant for seven or eight years (and being a rundown factory beforehand), _The Medley Hut _was as close to a local tourist attraction as anything we had in this little corner of Appleton, Wisconsin.

The heads who turned to see us lose interest in a second, and I find myself thankful of the pairs of shades Sonny and I put on so to not attract attention. I grow even more grateful as I see a bunch of guys who used to be James' friends, and push the shades further up my nose as a smiley girl with bleach-blonde hair hat's tied up in a high bun skips over, taking the fifties sweetheart thing a little too seriously. The façade is halted when the opens her mouth, and her voice I recognise just as well as I do the name on her tag.

"Heya, fellas!" Billie Bailey coos when her eyes land on the three guys in front of me and Sonny, who are hiding us like bodyguards. She rubs a piece of gum across her teeth and I'm surprised she hasn't been complained to for putting guests off their meals. Despite having lived in Wisconsin for five years, the Texan accent is thick and broad – the only thing that fits with the sweetheart look is that outfit that she seems to have borrowed from Sandy off of _Grease _– from the long, old-fashioned skirt to the friendly smile she's wearing on her lips. She twirls a stray length of her too-blonde, _Pink Ladies_ hair around her finger, her feet fidgeting and changing her position once every few seconds. It makes me almost uncomfortable.

Well, almost. Something entirely different makes me _properly_ uncomfortable.

"Hey, Billie." My three friends greet in unison, Danny giving her a friendly nod that doesn't go unnoticed by Billie. She winks at him flirtatiously.

A small curl of jealousy dredges up from the past, but I push it aside. _Sonny's_ my girlfriend now.

And my relationship with Billie is in the past.

Yeah, so Billie was one of those three girlfriends I had prior to moving to California – the ones that didn't really work out. Billie was more of a friend, hardly even that. She's a popular girl, sure, but she's one of those populars who dares to talk to the 'commoners' like me. She's probably, behind Sonny, the best girlfriend I've ever had. The happiest, for sure, and the nicest. She was probably the only one who didn't date me because I was about to become a star. So I guess I can give her that.

Almost like she can hear my thoughts, Billie's eyes leave Danny's and land on me. Swallowing hard, I push the glasses further up my nose.

"Is that who I think it is?" Billie asks, her chirpy voice going up an octave. She squints her eyes, biting her lip as she examines me over and over, her arms folded seriously. She blinks a couple of times, like she can't quite believe it.

"Is that my little Chaddy behind those glasses?" She questions, removing the sunglasses. I give her a small smile, and she runs a hand through my new (to her) hair, as if she's trying to figure out if it's a wig or something. Her eyes widen and she clicks her tongue.

"Oh my gosh, _you_!" She flings herself into my arms, hugging me tightly. I politely peel her off, blushing, and shooting an apologetic smile to Sonny.

_I'll tell you later._ I mouth. Sonny just shrugs, her expression neutral.

"I can't believe it's _you_!" Billie is saying, her big blue eyes still wide with shock and excitement. "I've watched you every week on So Random! I never _realised _how talented you are! And I can't believe you write all those sketches with your cast! They're so _good_!"

"Thanks." I reply with a smile.

"Awh, you're not little Chad anymore! Look at you!" She coos, like I'm her nephew she hasn't seen in years. "You've grown, I swear. And look at your _hair_! No-one can call you geeky anymore, it's official! You look to _sexy _to be a geek! Oh, you have to come see everybody!"

_"Everybody?"_

Billie points over to the corner of the room – the corner I was avoiding – where the popular kids, including James' pack, are hanging out. Their eyes are mostly all on us, probably having been alerted by Billie's cheers. Some of them are studious, others look shocked, and the odd one or two look impressed. James' friends are scowling.

"They'll be so proud to see you again! We're all just so impressed!" She grabs my hand, her advances a little shocking, "Oh, so _proud_! She repeats, "C'mon!"

I shoot a wary look over to the group again. I swallow hard as my eyes land on the two other ex-girlfriends of mine – Becca, an auburn-haired girl whose hair is tied into a large bun on the top of her head, and who wears so much make-up, it's hard to tell her true skin tone. She never used to wear that much, and I worry about what could've happened since I last saw her – after what I learned from Sonny, I can never be too comfortable around overconfident girls. But my nerves are nothing to do with the sight of Becca – more, the sight of the one ex-girlfriend who I've seen once before since I left Wisconsin.

Veronica Kingston, or as she's more commonly known _Ronnie, _sits in the very back of the group, sipping a smoothie, her eyes narrow and her stare hard. Her eyes don't leave me, or Sonny, for even a second.

I haven't seen Ronnie since Sonny's party back in August, my first month in Hollywood, when Sonny publicly humiliated Ronnie for cheating on me with a Falls guy.

Well… this isn't going to go well.

Tawni's POV

"So… What are we doing here again?"

Zora rolls her eyes, "Shush!" She hisses.

"Sorry." I whisper this time, "I just wanna know why we're hiding behind a park bench."

Zora sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, "You really know nothing about spying, do you?"

"Uh, no. That's why I asked you for help, remember?"

"I remember. But you've forgotten the simple rules of spying."

"…The what?"

"…It's like talking to a chimp..." Zora mutters, before holding up a walkie talkie. "You only communicate to me via this."

I blink, "But you're right next to me-"

"Don't question me Tawni, I know what I'm doing."

"Okay." I pause, "Sorry, Zora."

Zora throws her arms up in the air, "And don't say my name! Call me by my spy alias."

"Which is…?"

"Genius one-oh-one." She says, before adding, "And you're Glitter Girl."

"…That's boring." I carp, "I mean, c'mon, how many times has that been used? Can I be like… Something-and-Pretty, because I am always something and pretty, or… Ooh! Sassy Sequins! I like that."

Zora shakes her head slowly, looking exhausted. Don't know why though – we've hardly done anything yet.

"Okay. You're Sassy Sequins."

"_Yay_!"

"Shussshhh!" She hisses again. I mouth an apology and zip my mouth.

…

We wait for about two minutes before I get bored.

"So remind me again why we're behind a bench?"

Rather than complaining this time, Zora sighs and answers my question. "I was doing a little research into this James guy. I asked the Falls kids if they knew anything and Skyler told me that he was meeting a girl for a date here at this park. All we gotta do is wait for him, watch his activity, and see if this 'girl' he's meeting with is his 'Wisconsin eyes' that you told me about."

"Ohhh… That's pretty smart."

Zora smiles, almost smugly, "Well, they don't call me Genius One-Oh-One for nothing." She then shakes her head, like awakening from a trance, "Now _quiet_!" She hisses, "We have to keep our eyes peeled at all times…"

She turns her head to one side, observing the scene with narrowed eyes, like some sort of suspicious detective. It looks kinda silly.

"Zora, you look kinda ridiculous." I warn her. Zora rolls her eyes.

"I'm surveying the area for activity. Have you ever even _watched_ a spy film?"

"Nah." I wave my hand around as a 'no', "Ooh, wait." I backtrack, "…I saw the last James Bond movie! Man, Daniel Craig is _hot_ for an old guy! And he has the coolest accent!" I smile at Zora, "Does that movie count?"

Zora just keeps staring at me like I'm insane. "Yes." She mutters, "So, act like, I dunno, James Bond's girl sidekick or-"

"Camille."

"…What?"

"Her name was Camille. I think she was French or something…"

Staring a blank stare, Zora shakes her head, "Okay, new plan." She decides, "We're gonna split up."

"Why?"

"Two reasons. One, so we cover more ground. Two, so I don't have to hear your yammering anymore."

I stick my tongue out at her and she smiles innocently.

"Ooh, and wear this."

She dumps some hat on my head.

"So you don't draw attention to yourself." She adds.

I take the hat off and scowl, "Oh yeah. Nothing says invisible and inconspicuous like a _walking bush_. Why does this hat have _leaves_ on it?"

Zora rolls her eyes again, "Just hide in a bush. No-one'll see you."

"Right."

With one last mocking smile, Zora says, "Let's move out, Sassy Sequins."

Chad's POV

After the awkward noticing of Ronnie, I tell Billie that I'll meet up with the populars some other time, and that I'm hanging with my friends and girlfriend now so I can't ditch them to hang with her friends. Billie was amazed and excited to see Sonny when she finally realised it was her, which made me smile. At least Billie wasn't some creepy evil grudge-holder.

Well… I don't know that yet. Rephrasing that – at least it isn't _obvious _she's some creepy evil grudge-holder.

"Here you go, Sonny!" Billie proclaims as she places Sonny's order in front of her, "Your Meatball Maniac!" She smirks, "Good luck, girl," and then walks off to continue with her job.

Sonny bites her lip as a sandwich bigger than her head, with meatball, cheese, and some sort of secret-recipe sauce that gets changed every few days spilling out the sides, bubbles away in front of her. She pulls a face, pushing the plate further away as if the mere scent of the sandwich is terrifying her.

Jacob smirks, "What's the matter, girl?" He asks, "Giving in before you've even tried it?"

"Stop scaring her," Danny protests, "Maybe we should just call it off. I mean, look at it! It's double the size of her head!"

"Ooh, he's doubting you, Sonny!" Terence grins, "You gonna do something about it? Defend your place as one of us?"

"Does she even _need _to be one of us?" Danny asks, "I mean… her boyfriend's already passed; shouldn't she be allowed passage because of that?"

"We never agreed to that!" Terence protests. He then stops, blinks, and sits back. "…Crap, we did."

"Damn it." Jacob groans, "I was excited to see her get _messy_." He waggles his eyebrows.

"Jacob, you're a sick guy. Don't say stuff like that." Danny says, patting me on the back, "_Especially _when she has a boyfriend. _Especially _when he's your friend."

Jacob shrugs, "What can I say? I'm a badass. And Chad don't mind. Right, Chad?"

Barely paying attention, I tear my eyes away from Ronnie's, whose cold stare still rests on Sonny's back.

"Huh?"

"See?" Jacob smiles successfully, "Problem solved."

There is a brief pause before Terence yells out, "Dibs on the Meatballs!"

"No fair!" Jacob growls, and they both dive at the sandwich, animalistically fighting over it. With them distracted, Danny and Sonny look over at me.

"You okay, bro?" Danny asks softly.

"Sure. Sure."

Ronnie's eyes soften as she puts down her drink for what seems like the first time to check her phone, her eyes tore from me for the smallest fraction of time before she shoots her gaze back at me, like a threatening gun. I gulp and sink lower into my chair.

I am just about aware of Sonny's hand resting on my lap underneath the table. Danny's scoff makes me tear my eyes from Ronnie, and I notice he's looking in the same direction as I was.

"Don't worry about him, Sonny." He says as if he thinks I can't hear him. "He's just fretting 'bout the Populars over there. He's okay, really."

Sonny follows his gaze too, and lucky, Ronnie and everyone else is not looking anymore. In fact, Ronnie has left to the bathroom. However, Sonny's gasp hints that she recognises at least one of the faces around the Populars' table.

"It's James' Pigheads…" She recalls, her voice a mere breath.

"Oh, the Pigheads." Danny moans, taking a sip out of his Coke.

"They're jerks." Sonny mumbles, like she's arguing. Danny gives a simple nod. "You know that, right?"

"James was an old friend." Danny answers, "A _very _old friend. 'Til he became a douche-nozzle."

Sonny giggles. "I'm glad you transferred from the dark side." She says.

"Me too." Danny agrees. Sonny settles into her seat at the silence and lets her eyes scan quickly over each of the faces again. She lands on one and her eyes seem to narrow, the edges of her eyes creasing ever so slightly.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, following her gaze. It's only then that I realise her chocolate brown eyes are seeing exactly what I was seeing a few minutes ago.

Ronnie's back in her seat. Staring at us.

"That brunette girl's staring at us." She mumbles, her eyebrows knitting together, "And she looks totally familiar."

I sigh, "Three words. Bitch filled cake."

The chocolate brown eyes widen, "_Ronnie!"_

"Shush!" I hush her carefully, "She might hear you."

Sonny holds onto her Coke cup tightly, almost shaking, "What is _she_ doing staring at _us?" _

"I don't know." I reply with a little hint of malice shading my voice. Ronnie seems fully aware that Sonny and I are staring at her, but a friend taps her on the shoulder and she goes back to regular conversation, her gaze never reaching us again.

Danny's phone suddenly jingles. Standing in a hurry, he checks his phone.

"Sorry, guys." He apologises, "Lemme go take this… be right back."

As Danny leaves, the animals that are Jacob and Terence finish Sonny's abandoned meatball sandwich and re-enter the real world.

"So…" Jacob smiles, "What'd we miss?"

Tawni's POV

_Well… this is boring._

Having been hiding behind this bush for about thirty minutes now with no progress, I grab my phone and find the voice recorder app. I decided a few minutes ago that it'd be cool and kinda helpful to record any findings to Zora in case they help her in her investigation. Yup. I'm such a good spy.

"Tawni's Log. Entry one. It's… um…" I check the time on my phone, "…Twelve-thirty-two, and I'm bored as hell and nothing's happened. And-"

"You're with them now?"

I gasp and my hand flies to my mouth to shut myself up. Looking out of my bush, I see the one guy I've been waiting for, on the nearest bench, not with any 'Wisconsin eyes', but rather talking to his phone. I hold out my phone, in attempt to catch his conversation.

"What are they doing?" He asks the person on the other end feverishly. "Well, then, pay attention! And make sure to tell me whatever they say! It could be useful… what? You're saying _I_ have no right to be telling _you_ what to do?" He laughs, almost evilly. "I came up with this plan. You're lucky to have me helping _you _of all people, at all!" Another pause. "Okay, okay. Update me on progress."

He says goodbye to the caller, and addresses them by name, and then he's gone.

The name he addresses them by is overly familiar… I swear I've heard Chad say it before. It was someone he knew in Wisconsin… a friend? I can't remember… unless…

My hand flies to my mouth in shock and I run out of my hiding place as quick as my heels'll take me.

"Zo-RAAAA!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooh! Who was James talking to? Who does Tawni think it is? And what do you think of Chad's friends and ex-girlfriends? Are they any part in this? Are any of them James' evil accomplice? **

**FYI - Tawni's opinions of James Bond are totally not mine :P But I do think Daniel Craig's pretty cool. I want to see** Skyfall **really bad. And so I'm into **The Big Bang Theory**. Sue me :P**

**Review to see what happens next! Remember that cookie I promised you? Yeah, you know you wanna :P**

**Peace! x**

**~Amy x**


	53. The Ex-Girlfriends of Wisconsin

**A/N: Wayyoo! **

**Soo... how's everybody doing? School's getting crazy for me, so I apologise if story updates begin to get slower and shorter. I will still try my hardest, but I do have mocks coming up that I need to revise for and have a chunk of coursework to finish this week. But I will try, for you guys! I won't abandon any of my stories until they're finished, I promise :)**

Lovatic4Life2411** - OH MY GOSH HII! I missed you and your reviews so much :D Of course I remember you, welcome back! Good to see you again! How are ya? :)**

****CDCTheRandomWizard23 - **It reminded me of Shake It Up after I wrote it too, not gonna lie :P Whoopsie :D I didn't care though it was too fun :P**

****IAmSrak **- My lips... are sealed! And yes, TBBT is awesome! I just wanna give Leonard a hug and give Sheldon some antibacterial wash. :P**

channyfan83 - **So nice to hear from you again :) Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Reading time! I obviously don't own Sonny with a Chance :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 52 - The Ex-Girlfriends of Wisconsin<strong>

Sonny's POV

Chirpy as ever, the girl from earlier, Billie, skips over after Jacob and Terence finish my gargantuan sandwich with a belch. She grins.

"Sonny, you did it!" She squeals, "I'm impressed!"

I shrug. "I had a little help." I confess, pointing to the two boys beside me in the booth, who wave at Billie, slow and synchronised, with sarcastic grins on their faces. Billie rolls her eyes.

"Typical." She mumbles, "So are ya done? Anything else you wanna order?"

My stomach rumbles. Admittedly, I haven't eaten all day and was kind of looking forward to the Meatball Maniac as something to eat. But oh well. I probably wouldn't have fit that monstrous thing into my tiny, stick-figure stomach.

"A grilled cheese would go down a treat right about now." I decide. Billie flamboyantly doodles my order on her pad.

"Comin' right up, hon." She coos, before turning to Chad with a flirtatious smile, "Anythin' for you, cutie?"

Chad just smiles, "I'm not hungry, thanks."

Billie shrugs, "Suit yourself," and skips away again.

Chad looks at me with uncertainty. "I know what you're thinking…"

I blink. "Well, would you clue me in? 'Cos all I'm thinking is 'I'm hungry and I want my grilled cheese' but something tells me that's not what you mean."

Chad chuckles under his breath, "You mean you're not confused by Billie's…" He pauses, at loss of an appropriate word, "…affections?"

"What are you saying? That you think I'm threatened by some girl flirting with you?"

Chad shrugs, "Well, the 'some girl' you speak of is my ex-girlfriend…"

"You think I didn't notice that?" I say, smirking now, "C'mon, Chad, it's obvious." Chad just shrugs again. I put a hand on his shoulder, "Chad, don't worry. She's just flirting – I don't blame her. You're an amazing, attractive guy… and your _famous_. Girls throw themselves at famous people all the time. Don't worry about her and her flirty ways – I know you'd never cheat on me, so there's no reason for me to overreact at her flirting. You're not that kind of guy - and I believe that regardless of any video evidence - so I'm not worried or threatened by any ex-girlfriends who throw themselves at you." I finish with a small smile, "So don't worry."

Chad finally gives in and sends me back a warm smile, "I forgot you're not the jealous type."

"Not around people I trust." I correct, nudging him on the shoulder. He chuckles.

"How did I get so lucky?" He asks gently. I roll my eyes.

"You're not allowed to say that. Don't say that."

"Why not?"

I sigh, "Because _you're_ not the lucky one. _I_ am. Remember what I was like without you?" Chad just shrugs. "Exactly. So shut up. _I'm_ better off with you. You've changed me."

"_N'awww_!" Billie's voice coos from behind. Chad and I twitch a little, and turn to see her stood there, swooning, with my grilled cheese in her hand. "That's so _adorable_! And rude. But _adorable!_"

Chad rolls his eyes, "I think we've found our resident Chastity."

So Chad gives in after a while and finally agrees to go hang out with Billie and her friends after her shift. You can tell he's not overly happy about it, and is obviously feeling very awkward.

I think I know why.

There are at least ten, fifteen people crowding a couple of tables near the door of the restaurant, all with very colourful, animated expressions on their face. Be it shock, awe, confusion… _anger… _no-one's just sat there like a sour lemon, that's for sure.

Okay, so maybe that was the wrong expression to choose…

Ronnie's expression darkening her pretty (but not _that _pretty…) features makes her seem like she is _literally _sucking a lemon. Disgust and anger paints the picture pretty clearly; that she doesn't want Chad here. Or maybe me here. Probably both.

Not that anyone asks her permission. Chad and I are pretty much thrown into the centre of the group, chucked around like in a game of pass the parcel. It's way more terrifying than that scary-large guy-hug I was thrown into yesterday with Chad and his pals. This is just so much bigger – and more frightening. Surprisingly. I didn't think that was possible.

It's just that, these are the popular kids. I suppose back where I come from, they're the equivalent of the Falls kids, and I can deal with them. But these guys seem just… different. They're not actors. they're not professionals (no matter how immature and _un_professional I'd consider girls like Portlyn and Marta).

They're _teenagers_. Just regular high-school teenagers.

I've never been in a high school environment. I've been on the Falls since middle school and been taught in a little classroom for like five, ten kids in a studio since then.

I don't have a single idea what to do here.

Crap.

Swallowing hard, so hard it's almost like I'm trying to swallow a large pill of some kind, I hold my head high, swing back my shoulders – like I learnt back when I was thirteen years old – and prepare myself for the terror that being out of my comfort zone had to offer.

"So, Sonny," Billie is the first to start conversation after Chad and I have met/been re-acquainted with the company. She flings Chad and I into two seats – Chad is next to her and I get the joy of being beside my boyfriend, opposite Miss Lemon-face.

Yay.

Regardless, I have to sit there with a large smile on my face, ignoring the elephant in the room. "Yeah, Billie?" I say sweetly. I give her a bright smile, just seeming to anger Ronnie more. She taps a loud tune on the table in front of her, noisy and impatient, like a war song. Nobody pays any attention but me. Even Chad is too busy with Billie wrapped around his neck. He pulls an apologetic face to me and I shrug again, knowing it's not his fault yet passionately raring to get away from here as fast as possible.

"What's it like dating this hunk o' man? Sweet, huh?" Billie jokes, pinching Chad's cheek like he's some kind of child. I force the smile to keep going, to which it tiresomely responds.

"Luckiest girl in the world." I insist, earning a chorus of coos from Billie and a couple of other girls. Ronnie stays absolutely silent, the thrumming getting more violent, like the war is getting closer.

"That's so sweet." Becca, one of Chad's other exes, comments, though the comment is rather bittersweet. "You get to date him as a comedy superstar though. When we dated him, he was a little nerd with the potentiality of becoming a star. We just boosted his confidence for you, and he wouldn't be cool without us. So you're welcome."

I don't know how to reply to that. Neither does Chad. Luckily, Billie jumps to our rescue. "Becca, shh." She whispers as if we can't hear her. "That might hurt Chad's feelings."

_'Might'_ could be an understatement. I can see the awkwardness and embarrassment in his eyes and wish I'd let his friends stay for this when I see James' fellow Pigheads nudge each other in the gut, sending mocking messages to each other concerning Chad. I swallow hard, wishing for the presence of Support System version one-point-oh.

Unfortunately, Danny was in a rush to get home after his phone call, and the other boys drove home too, so really we're stuck here.

Oh, damn.

And as if I thought things couldn't get any worse…

Ronnie's war song reaches its climax and she speaks. "So, Sonny," she says, her voice on the borderline of sweet, and mocking. "How's your job? Molly Falls?"

"Melody." I correct, my throat tight.

"Right." Ronnie acknowledges, giving me a rotten smile. Chad sits up in his seat in discomfort and Billie, next to him, follows, her grip tight on his hand. "How's that Skyler kid? Still single after we made out?"

Chad cringes. Luckily, this curveball she's sent me is easily returned. "Nah, he has a girlfriend." I grin, returning the ironic tone to her like a backhand in tennis. "She's one of our cast members. And she's pretty and fun and kind… they're very happy together." _Thank you, Chaskyler._

My swift return knocks Ronnie out for a moment, but she's back up on her feet soon enough, wanting more. "Oh, really?" She says, "Hmm. So _two_ of my men have been stolen from me by actresses. Interesting."

Chad steps in, like a referee, "Okay, Ronnie, that's enough. Leave her alone."

"Yeah, you're not dating Chad _or_ Skyler." I point out, not wanting to let this girl get the better of me. I'm Sonny Munroe – I'm not letting some Wisconsin so-called hot-shot outsmart _me._ "We didn't steal them. You were just stupid enough to let them go." And then I address the other exes too, unable to stop myself, "Yup, you were ALL stupid to let Chad go. You took him in for the money and fame like the gold diggers you are and then dumped him when you got bored. And now he's mine. _You_ lost him. I _won_. Commiserations."

And that's game, set, and match. Or knock-out. Or whatever it's called. I pry Chad away from a shocked Billie and thank everyone for their (fake) hospitality, before tugging a dazed Chad away like a towboat.

But an ache in my heart tells me it's not the end.

It's only the beginning.

* * *

><p>"So, you confronted the ex-girlfriends of Wisconsin." Chad sums up as we exit the restaurant. "Sweet."<p>

I bite my lip, "You're not mad, are you?"

"At what?" He raises an eyebrow, "That you schooled my creepy exes or that you dragged me out of that meeting-from-hell?"

Sensing his sarcasm, I shrug, "Both…?"

Chad smirks, pulling me into a hug, "You're silly." He mumbles, kissing me on the head. I blush, hoping that his exes saw that.

"Now…" Chad pulls away from the hug and huffs. "How do we get home?"

"We could call your Dad?"

Chad shakes his head, "He's at work."

"What about the boys?"

"Oh, hello there!"

I cringe. Chad shoots me a look that's almost ironic and we both turn around to see Billie and Ronnie. I swallow hard, gripping onto Chad's hand like Billie was earlier. Billie is giving us a sweet smile, while Ronnie looks like she's trying to make me burst into flames with her stare. A stare so heated and dark and burning, it could probably work.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask, maybe a little ruder than necessary. Billie gives me a smile that's almost condescending.

"We were just leaving." She says a little too sweetly. "What about you two? You going home?"

"Yes, actually." I say, my voice still defensive, "We were just about to call someone for a ride."

Ever innocent, Billie gasps, "We could take you home, if you like!"

Well, if there's anything we learnt from that suggestion, it's that there's one thing Ronnie and I seem to agree on, anyway. We both fold our arms, synchronised, yelling, "No!"

Unfazed, Billie chuckles, "Awh, c'mon, girls! This is the perfect opportunity for us to hang out a little. You know? We can get to know each other. Talk a little. It'd be nice if we could all be friends, right?"

"Over my dead body." Ronnie spits, "I'm not sharing a car with that _slut._"

"Yeah, same here." I retort. Chad tightens his grip on me like I'm an over-agitated puppy who's about to run off. to be honest, I'd rather run home than stay here with two of my boyfriend's ex-girlfriends, one of which hates my guts with a burning passion (a feeling that is quite mutual).

Billie, regardless, pouts. She turns to Chad, a look of desperation on her face, "C'mon, Chad! It'd be nice for us all to hang out, right?"

"W-"

"If you think I am sitting in a car with that _freak _after what she did to me, Billie, you're crazy!" Ronnie hisses, stomping her foot like a child, "I. Will. Not. Allow it!"

* * *

><p>...See, there's something about Billie, just like there is with Chastity; that her pouty, annoying faces she pulls and constant begging just won't stop until you give her exactly what she wants.<p>

Chad ended up giving in to his ex-girlfriend's charms, just to get her off his back, saying it'd be nice for him to catch up with two of the girls he used to go out with and it's every man's dream. Obviously, Billie's not too big on sarcasm, so with a squeal of excitement, she fetched her car from the parking lot and came and picked us all up at the front of the restaurant. Leaving the three of us alone... smart move. It was a surprise Ronnie hadn't stepped out in front of a bus by the time Billie got back.

Billie offered the seat next to her in the front of the car to Chad, and Chad, knowing it'd be almost suicidal to let (force) Ronnie and I to sit together, he threw me into the front seat and Ronnie in the back next to him. It was awkward for the poor guy, I know, but at least he would _try_ to be civilised with Ronnie while I was really, after all the glaring she was doing, ready to throw a grenade at her. At least, next to Billie, I wasn't prepared to commit a homicide. Apart from break Chad's heart, she hadn't really done anything wrong, and Chad wouldn't want me to get involved in his ex-relationships and make everything worse.

One thing that was confusing me though was Billie's eagerness in having Chad and I around. It was kind of weird – especially after what I said to her earlier, about her being a gold digger (which was maybe an over-exaggeration).

But then, maybe she isn't like Ronnie (pfft, please, that's for _certain_). Maybe she wants things to be nice between her ex-boyfriend and herself. Maybe she wants to make friends with me.

Not all ex-girlfriends are bad… right?

I question her on her motives in the car, while Chad and Ronnie sit through an uncomfortable silence in the back.

"So, um… Billie?"

She gives me a wide smile, "What's up, buttercup?"

"Uh…" Her charms throw me off a little bit. I suddenly understand why the girl's so popular – she makes you melt like butter on toast. "Um…"

"Don't be shy, Sonny." She says, "Spit it out."

"Why did you offer Chad and I a ride?"

She blinks, shocked by my question, "What, is it now criminal to be nice to someone?"

Now it's my turn to blink, "Um… no…"

"There you go. Just bein' nice to y'all."

"Oh." I have no response to that, "Well… that's very kind, thank you."

I don't even dare to speak after that.

* * *

><p>We reach Chad's house in an awkward silence, no-one daring to say anything. Chad and I pretty much rocket ourselves out of the car, wanting to make a break for the door without turning back. However, a certain ex-girlfriend won't let that happen.<p>

"You're welcome, guys!" Billie shouts out, innocently smiling and waving at us out of her open window.

"Thanks, Billie." Chad says (a little late in the thanking), returning the wave.

"Yeah, thanks." I mumble, avoiding eye contact. I hear a snort from inside the car and see Ronnie (_still_) glaring at me. And I just explode.

"My gosh, what is your _problem?_" I yell out, putting my hands on my hips. Ronnie just mocks me, copying my words and movements and tone of voice. I scowl. "Seriously, Ronnie, shut up. What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Oh!" Ronnie scoffs, stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut, coming just an inch away from my face. "_Oh!_ Have you forgotten what you did to me at your precious-little-princess birthday party?"

I just smirk at the memory, "Oh, no. I only wish I could do it again."

Ronnie is clearly not amused. She shakes her head slowly. "Oh, you are going to _pay _for it!"

"Oh yeah?" I raise an eyebrow. Challenging her. "Show me how. Dazzle me."

Ronnie, in the heat of the moment and having no clever retort, just slaps me in the face. I recoil and Billie gasps and Chad grabs Ronnie's arm and drags her back to the car.

"Well, it was lovely seeing you two, but we gotta go," He is saying, so quickly that I can only just make it out, "Bye bye, have a nice life, yada yada…"

"It was nice seein' you, Chad!" Billie exclaims as she gets in the car, "Sorry for that… I'd still like to see you both at _The Medley Hut _again soon though!"

Chad and I exchange a wary look. "Uh, sure, sure, maybe… I mean, if we get a chance…"

"Swell!" Billie cheers, before getting in the car with a scowling Ronnie and driving off. Chad walks up to me, still looking shocked.

"Well… that was nice." I mumble, rubbing my pink cheek. Chad chuckles awkwardly.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault." I shrug, "Something's puzzling me though."

"What's that?"

"Billie." I say as we turn towards the door, "Why is she so eager to see us again?"

Chad pauses for a spell, before speaking again, "She's a decent girl… maybe she wants to make it up to us after just happened?"

I, however, am not as sure. "I just find it kinda suspicious."

Chad smirks, "What, is she, like, some evil genius trying to get rid of you or something?" He lets out a loud laugh, punching me lightly on the arm. "I doubt it, Sonny."

Too deep in thought, my only reply is, "Hmm…"

Evil genius? No. No, I doubt that Billie is some kind of evil mastermind with a white cat and a monocle and a volcano lair. But what if Billie_ is_ behind what happened to Chad the other day? At the restaurant in LA? Maybe it's a little farfetched…

But you can't be too careful. It could've been anyone we know. With the right motive, the right reasoning…

Hmm…

So with that in mind, I follow Chad into his father's house, dazed.

3rd Person

The phone rings in their hand – a small jingle that cuts through the silence and the darkness of the room. They look at the ID and smirk – a text from James. Their accomplice probably wanting a check-up on their progress. They check the text:

_Are you close enough? Are you ready for the plan?_

They smile. After seeing Sonny and Chad today they know they are ready for the plan. They know that, given the opportunity, they will be able to take it to their advantage and make sure their enemies knew that they aren't going to go easy on them. Tomorrow the plan will begin and will go down perfectly, inch by inch, and Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper will be dragged into a whirlwind they will not find easy to escape. A whirlwind so twisted that, when it is over, the end will arrive for the couple and they will be sorry that they ever got together in the first place.

The figure sits in the dark returns James' text quickly and confidently and James, on a plane to Wisconsin, smiles devilishly as he receives it.

_I'm ready. _

He and his accomplice are going to make sure that this _Channy _everyone is so obsessed with is terminated.

And then he will have Sonny Munroe all to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: BOO HISS. **

**Well that's that! I apologise for the awful misuse of the word 'they' in that last little section, but I don't want to reveal the gender of James' accomplice. So there. They're a they for now. Or an it. Whatever's best.**

**So this is where things are really gonna get started. Remember Chad's so-called 'robbery'? Well, we're gonna have s'more scams coming soon now James and his accomplice are ready! Oohh...**

**Any guesses? Any suspicions? Tell me in your lovely reviews!**

**Peace out y'all :)**

**~Amy x**


	54. Deceit and Denial

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you again for your lovely reviews!**

**I'm sorry for the wait. December's been choked full of me just being lazy and me having to revise for my mocks. Also I have my one-shot Secret Santa to write for one of my lovely FanFiction family members, so I've been working on that this week. I had this whole chapter written and wanted to write more but I decided to end this wait and just post it for you guys :)**

**So how's everyone doing? Excited for Christmas? I could explode with excitement, I swear :P Only one more week of school until I'm off! Then I have a sixth form application to write for a very high-achieving, sophisticated school... anyone imagine lil' old me there? ;D**

**Well, enough about me and my life... nattering here, pretending I have friends :P Let's get this going! :D**

Lover53** - Thank you! Hope you continue to enjoy it :)**

MacyZC55 **- Oh my gosh missed ya girl! :D Sleep! It's important :P Ooh, I honestly can't wait to read it! Congrats on the A :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with A Chance. Enjoy! x**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 53 - Deceit and Denial<strong>

3rd Person

The package is sat in front of the accomplice on a coffee table, taunting them and mocking them. _Get on with it, _it croons mockingly, _just do it. Open me and start the plan. **Now**. _

Eager to see what is inside the package James dropped off this morning when he arrived in Wisconsin, his accomplice rips open the brown paper concealing the object that would begin the destruction of Channy_._

An old video tape falls into the mystery person's lap, and they blink, bemused. They hadn't seen one of these since the late nineties. Picking it up and turning it over, the accomplice notices a yellow Post-It note. A date is on it – 1/18/12 – along with the word _"Play". _Of course, this means the mystery assistant has to find the old video player to view the tape and check the content, but the story of the tape is soon discovered. The black-and-white scene is of a restaurant, and while it takes James's partner in crime a little while to see the connection, one figure on the scene is finally recognisable. The figure is Chad, and he is huddled with a group of people – _girls. _Still a little bemused, the accomplice picks up the wrapping that the tape came in, looking for some kind of hidden note, describing their next instructions. What are they supposed to do with this?

Squinting, the conniving cohort finds what they are looking for. What first seemed like a random array of black scribbles turns out to be another message. Why James hadn't written this on the Post-It is unknown but the instructions are written clearly on the brown paper:

"_This is the outcome of our fake-Chad plan the other day. _

_Just a shame it didn't make the tabloids._

_That can be changed though. _

_You know what to do._

_J."_

Chad's POV

"Good morning, everybody!"

Sonny skips into the room, the picture of happiness bundled into one petite, pretty girl. Obviously in a good mood, she approaches my seat on the couch and perches next to me, kissing me softly on the cheek and wrapping one arm around my neck.

Dad had to leave early for work, but Mom arrived a little while before Sonny woke up to say hi, and so the two of us were waiting for her. I've just been eager to check that she's okay after Ronnie slapped her yesterday… I felt bad after it that I didn't do anything to stop it. I still do.

Looking at her smiling face now, though, nothing seems out of shape – well, apart from the faint pink shade of her cheek that anyone who didn't witness the slap yesterday would mistake for blush.

Regardless, when Mom gets up and heads to the kitchen after offering to get Sonny a cup of coffee, I have to ask, just to check. After all, we all know how good Sonny is at hiding things.

I put a hand on her lap, which is in my _own_ lap – she's sat on my knees like I'm Santa or something, with her hand wrapped around the back of my neck and her lips only a couple of inches from mine.

"Sonny,"

"What's up, buttercup?" She asks, a little giggle in her words. I swallow a little, her smile making it difficult for me to be serious.

"Are you… okay? You know, after yesterday?"

Sonny stares at me, blankly, not quite understanding, before she scoffs, like she finally gets it.

"_Ohh!" _She exclaims, pushing my shoulder playfully, "No need to worry, Chad. I'm fine. That girl can't hurt me – she's too pathetic. What's been her lowest point? Breaking a nail? I've been to hell and back in comparison. I can take her."

I can't help but gawk at her in awe; baffled that someone who's been through as much hell as she has can still be so strong, so powerful – especially considering that strength and power has only been built up in the last few months. It's inspiring.

"What are you staring at, Chaddy-o? Close your mouth; you'll attract flies."

"How am I so lucky to have you?" Is my sappy, ridiculous response. Sonny scoffs and rolls her eyes, the pink in her cheeks darkening to a red.

"Shut up." She sighs, pushing my shoulder again, before collapsing her head onto it. She squeezes me into a tight hug and I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close, making the space between us almost non-existent.

Of course, Mom comes back in the room with two mugs of coffee then – one for Sonny, and one for herself, and Sonny and I part a little, Sonny taking a seat next to me on Dad's brown leather couch rather than using _me _as a couch. Mom passes the coffee to her, smiling, which is good; Mom sure seems to have warmed to Sonny since the day they first met, which I'm glad of. It's nice to have both parents' blessings on Sonny.

Yep. Everything's working out fine.

…Or not.

The doorbell goes, and each of us give each other a look of befuddlement. Sonny glances towards the hallway, staring at the doorway like an alien's stood in it, and I, myself, get up, heading for the front door.

Danny's the one I greet when I open the door, but from the serious look on his face I can tell he's not up for a menial chat. In fact, he looks more than serious. He looks… _angry_. He steps inside, inviting himself in, and Terence and Jacob follow, the usually-bundling boys looking as equally serious and worried and _furious _as Danny.

"Whoa, guys, what the-?"

"Have you got a laptop 'round here somewhere?" Danny questions the inhabitants of the house. Sonny, Mom and I each give each others of confusion before Sonny's hand shoots up in the air.

"I brought mine from California."

"What's the problem?" Mom asks, her eyebrows knitting together with concern. Jacob tries to force a smile on his face, like he's hiding something.

"Oh, oh, there- there's no problem, Mrs C." He assures her, holding his hands up in a comforting gesture, "We're not gonna accuse your son of anything." _Accuse? "_We, uh, just need to show Sonny and Chad something. Don't mind us…"

Jacob strides over to Sonny, who is still on the couch, and murmurs in her ear as he picks her up off of the couch; "Where's your laptop?"

"Uh, in Chad's room…" She says, puzzled as Jacob pushes her towards me. Terence spins me around and pushes me towards the stairway, while Danny says assuring words to my mother.

"Everything's fine, Mrs Cooper," He smiles while backing out of the front room, "We just, uh, have something very important to show Sonny and Chad. No need to worry – we'll see ya later! Okay, bye."

He slams the door behind him, a look of determination crossing his face.

"'Kay guys, let's get this done."

Jacob and Terence nod, prodding me and Sonny in the back, ushering us up the stairs like fugitives. Sonny exclaims in protest a couple of times, like "Hey!" and "What's wrong with you?" I stay totally silent, trying to think of what could possibly be the matter.

We enter my room, Danny shutting the door behind himself and Terence and Jacob sitting Sonny and I down on the bed, standing to either side of us, like bodyguards (or goons), folding their arms, synchronised.

"Okay, Sonny," Danny claps his hands together, his eyes darting around my old room in a hurry, "Where's the laptop?"

"Why don't you tell us what's going on first?" She retorts, raising an eyebrow at them in disgust.

"We'd rather _show_ you," Jacob answers, "It's… kinda hard to explain."

"In fact, I dunno if you're gonna like what we have in store…" Terence adds, shooting a dark look in my direction, "But it has to be done."

"Guys, we said we wouldn't accuse him until we had the whole story." Danny proclaims, holding his hands up as if to try and calm them. Terence's eyes leave me, still dark, and I swallow hard.

"Guys?" I ask, my voice a little shaky in worry, and _fear_. They just ignore me.

"Sonny?" Danny asks, his voice very persistent now, "The laptop?"

"Can I just ask first _what _you're accusing my boyfriend of?" She asks sternly, "He's already had one accusation this week, and he doesn't need another."

"Another accusation, hmm?" Terence raises his eyebrow at me, his eyes hinting malice and disgust. "Fascinating…"

Sonny growls at him in my defence, "Just tell us!"

Danny swallows hard, turning to me, for the first time, with a rational look, "Chad… we have a problem, buddy."

* * *

><p>"<em>Chad Dylan Cheater<em>?!"

Sonny's eyes widen as she scans the _Tween Weekly Online _article, her eyes darting side to side like race cars. I snatch the laptop off of her lap as she exclaims the header.

"A friend emailed the link to me." Danny explains lowly, sourly, "Apparently, it's footage from a restaurant in California that no-one got their hands on. Until now, that is."

Too engrossed in the words, I ignore my friends, reading aloud.

"_We all know Chad Dylan Cooper – star of So Random, Wisconsin cutie who joined his favourite TV show back in August of last year. Sweet, charming, and funny, Cooper has stolen both the show and our hearts. Not only that; he's the picture of innocence. _

…_Right?_

_Wrong."_

Sonny gasps, like a sob, peering over my shoulder to read for herself. Unable to continue aloud, I read in my head.

_We are sad to admit, readers, that the goody-goody we've all loved for months on end has stolen a little more than we thought…_

_We received this mysterious video (see below) last night; mysterious because it seemed to be on an outdated form of screening: tape. Nevertheless, for our dedicated readers, we checked out the inexplicable evidence, to discover something veeery interesting…_

_The video showed Cooper at a restaurant, a week or so ago (a _day _after his date with fellow teen star Sonny Munroe) surrounded by chicks. _Nicely done, Cooper, nicely done,_ you must be thinking. After all, our sources have before claimed that the date went awfully (which is why the beautiful Munroe ended up performing an adorable, tear-jerking song on Cooper's show that made us all bubble up like the fan-girls we all are on the inside.)_

_So we would've thought – so what? He's out having some fun – he deserves it, right?_

_Well, ours sources clarify that Chad was, indeed, still _with_ Munroe when he went to this restaurant – a friend close to Cooper claims that he was, quote, "Sick of Sonny and wanting some time away from her. She was driving him insane." Ooh, bitchy._

_So, clearly, here we have evidence of Chad being a little more bad-boy than good-guy, but is that it? Nope._

_Firstly, he kissed one of his company, laughing slightly insanely (somebody say, drunk?) and then he left, after ordering and eating – not paying a single cent. And this was a pretty hefty sum that he was leaving behind, too. _

_So what do you guys think of this? Chad Dylan Cooper – goody-goody, or just a superficial jerk? Or maybe Hollywood really has changed Cooper – something we all dreaded. Oh, Hollywood, you heartless monster. Another one left behind._

_No statements have been released from either Cooper, or his "girlfriend", Munroe – who ours source has said is still unaware of Chad's party-party night. _

_Pfft. Not anymore. _

_Now be sure to comment! What do you think of all this? Has Chad been framed? Or do we need to go searching for a new hot good-guy? My sources say – hell yes. _

_Too bad. _

_See ya next time with all the new stories! And, rest assured, they will be as hair-raising and eye-popping as the last! And if you wanna check our evidence for yourself, check out the video below!_

_Good day, readers!_

…

The room is silent. I lift my head from the screen to see three expectant pairs of eyes on me, arms folded, circling me like a culprit.

"So," Jacob is the first to speak, "Explain yourself, Mister."

"…" I honestly don't know what to say. My hands are shaking, my heart is pounding, and my brain is throbbing.

Sonny next to me gasps again, a sob escaping her mouth. She clamps herself against me, hanging on tight like she's worried of one of us breaking in two.

I just let my eyes drop to my lap. _Why? _I thought that was all over with. The money was paid, I was let out, I wasn't arrested… I thought it was all over now. Turns out I was wrong. Horribly wrong.

Who did this? Who got their hands on this footage and wrecked it all for me? Who's made me out to be the enemy, the bad guy, the rebel? Who would _do _that? Was it that worker-girl who seemed to despise me with a passion? Was it Tony, the boss, or the other worker, Gino? Or Chastity or Skyler? Or was it someone who wasn't even in the room at the time of the accusation?

And did they mean any harm? Did they do this just by accident? Or to be funny, or to just get a reaction? Or is someone really out to get me?

Either way, I know I should be worried about the release of this video.

The silence is disturbed when someone clears their throat, demanding an explanation. My friends' glares are hard and impatient when I look up again. Even Danny, the most rational one, looks pretty furious.

"Well?"

"He didn't do it." Sonny is the one to come to my rescue, and while her voice is shaky and her tone is weak, her words are sure.

Jacob's arms fold across his chest. It's hard to see him like this – the jokester, the funny guy… Angry. Cold. Hostile. "Sonny, you saw the video. It's staring you in the face."

"No," Sonny shakes her head, sounding like a crazy person, "no, no, no, there's a solid explanation for this."

"And would you like to explain it then?" Danny raises an eyebrow, "'Cos if so, you have the floor."

Sonny shuffles in her chair, uncomfortable, unable to come to my defence. She bows her head, defeated. "Chad didn't do it." She insists, in a quiet, defeated voice.

Danny's eyes shift to me. "Well, let's ask Chad himself, hmm? He's awful quiet."

I swallow, the moisture not assisting in the rehydration of my bone-dry throat. "Guys, I don't know."

"You looked pretty hammered, dude." Jacob points out, "Do you remember any of this?"

Knowing that claiming my innocence repeatedly would be anything but fruitful, I just shake my head.

"I don't remember a second of that."

Jacob scoffed, "You must've been plastered, dude…"

"NO!"

Sonny stands, rooting herself in front of me in a protective gesture. She gives each of my friends hard, long looks, warning them off.

"He didn't do _anything_!" She exclaims, "He doesn't remember it because it wasn't _him_! If you were really his friends, you'd _believe_ us!"

Sonny's words seem to sting. Jacob, Terence, and Danny give each other a long stare, a whole conversation loaded in their eyes. They nod slowly – a decision – and with that they turn and head out.

"We'll give you some time to think." Danny says as he heads for the door, "Next time we come, we want the truth."

Tears are welling in Sonny's eyes. She turns to me, mouth wide open, unable to speak but trying to urge me to stop them. They won't listen to her. They'll think she's crazy and in denial.

"Danny, _wait_!"

My voice cracks on "wait", but he hears it regardless. He turns, just in the doorway, face a different mask than before; this time one of concern.

I bite my lip, "Please…" I sound weak, pathetic, "you have to believe me, I didn't do it."

Danny sighs, looking down and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'll come over tonight." He decides, "We'll talk then."

And then he's gone.

And when he leaves, Sonny begins to weep, tears streaming, and she wraps her arms around me and throws herself into my chest, sobbing on my shoulder.

A single tear rolls down my own cheek as I comfort her.

Everything I built for myself. Every good thing I've done since I came to California. The friends I have, my life, my reputation… I imagine it all going up in flames in the aftermath of all this, like a forest fire.

No one will see me the same way again, that's for sure.

Clinging onto Sonny like she's my last lifeline, I bitterly hope that, whoever let that tape out, they're happy.

Because I see dark times coming. This story has poisoned my friends' mind (and my fans', looking at the infuriated comments at the bottom of the article) – what's next? My cast? My boss? My family?

The wildfire will spread, rapidly and uncontrollably, turning everything into cinders and ashes of what once was. And I know that, unless I can stop it, the paradise that is my life will be burned to a crisp.

Tawni's POV

Zora and I supposed it was going to happen. I mean, after tracking James' every move for the last couple of days and attempting to keep an eye on his partner in crime (to no prevail – we had no contact in Wisconsin apart from Chad or Sonny and we really wanted to keep them out of this), we supposed that something was coming. We knew that they were after Chad and Sonny, and we knew that they were both doing it for their own selfish reasons.

But we had no tab on what _exactly _they were planning. That is – we had no tab, until a few minutes ago, when Grady and Nico walked into the Prop House with solemn looks, Nico passing us his laptop.

"We have a bit of a problem." He'd informed us, before the two of them just stood there silently, waiting for our response.

_Chad Dylan Cheater _was the headline, and as Zora and I read the article, we looked at each other with suspicion at the word _'source'_, which was planted in there every so often, giving us Goosebumps. 'Source', _huh? _I gave Zora a dark, knowing look.

Knowing what, you say? Knowing exactly who this 'source' is.

Now, we've finished reading the article, sent Nico and Grady off to ponder on what the heck is going on with Chad (they seem more confused than that time when I told them how to really spell 'island'), and are now straight on the case again. Ha, it's kinda cool – me, spying. Like a special agent.

A pretty one, of course.

"So, what do you think, Sequins?" Zora begins, raising an eyebrow in thought.

I open my mouth to answer, when my phone bleeps arrogantly, signalling an incoming email. I check the I.D. and shudder.

Giving Zora a wary look, I open the email, swallowing hard.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that'll have to wait 'til next time.**

**So... what's going on? Anyone's ideas changed on who's the baddie? I can't wait for next chapter, because if it goes the way I think it's gonna go, we're gonna have a reveal next time! **

**See you guys! I hope I'll update again before New Year's, but if not, I'll see you next year, QTO fans! (Can I call you fans? :P)**

**Byeee! x)**

**~Amy x**


	55. Closer Than You Think

**A/N: Make way for the shortest chapter of anything I've ever written everrrr! Whoo! ;D **

**How cool is this; update in two days whoo :D It's a short chapter, but really it's just part two of Sunday's chap :) And there's gonna be even more clues on who the bad guy is oooohhhhhh!**

hope for eternity **- GAH I'M SORRY BROMANCE RULES! xx**

swac twilight14 **- How was this? It wasn't 'tomorrow' but it's the day after :P**

talazen-McCooper - **Aw, that's so cool that you name's Marta! I'm sure you're not as mean is this Marta :P**

**Of course. I don't own Sonny with A Chance. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 54 - Closer Than You Think<strong>

Chad's POV

Danny's arrival at the front door that evening is heart-warming. I was worried that he'd break his promise and, considering what he thinks I've done, never speak to me again.

"Hey, Dan," I say, gesturing my hand to invite him in. His expression, while slightly hostile, still seems open to debate and happy to listen to what I – we; Sonny agreed to stick with me no matter what – have to say.

Luckily Mom has left to have dinner with her mother, and Dad hasn't come back from work yet. I'm glad. I don't want them involved in this.

"Okay," Danny sighs, taking a seat on one of the leather couches. Sonny sits next to him and I sit on the matching armchair beside them, "what exactly did you guys need to say?"

I take a deep breath. "The truth is… we've seen this video before."

Danny raises an eyebrow, "The one online? How?"

"We went to the restaurant on a double date a little while after this _supposedly _happened." Sonny explains, "The workers wanted to throw us out and the boss called us to his office and showed us it. Chad claimed he didn't even recognise the scene."

Danny bites his lip, like he's holding back from saying something, "Okay, so what are you saying?"

"We don't know." I say after a moment of thought. "Perhaps… that guy was pretending to be me? Or maybe he just looks like me?"

"A doppelganger?" Danny scoffs, "Well, this just got even more dramatic, didn't it? Sure we're not being pranked or something? I know you almost had that Celebrity Practical Joke'd gig, dude – you just joshin' us all?"

"No, no, not at all." I protest while Sonny sits there, arms and legs folded, looking more and more furious with every second.

Danny places his head in his hands, groaning. "I don't believe I'm gonna say this…" He begins, muffled, before lifting his head. "But I believe you."

Our faces suddenly light up. "You do?" Sonny and I exclaim together. Danny shrugs.

"You're my bro. And if you say you didn't do it, well then hey – you didn't do it."

I grin, "So, you'll help us clear my name?"

Danny matches my grin, holding his fist up for a bump, "What are bros for?"

Laughing, I pound his fist with my own and give him a slight hug, and Sonny kisses him on the cheek.

"I'm so glad!" She exclaims, forming a little fist of her own for Danny to pound, "I'm just happy I didn't have to use this fist for a _different _reason…"

Danny chuckles, "Oh, yeah, willing to get in a fight for you?" He smiles at me, "You've got a keeper here, Cooper."

I just smile stupidly, "I know."

Tawni's POV

_'I'm closer than you think…'_

Well, the opening of that email doesn't calm either me or Zora down. It just makes us more suspicious and panicky. Closer to who? Us?

_Chad and Sonny?_

Swallowing hard, I read the rest of the email…

'_So, Tawni. Decided not to join us, huh? It's a shame. I mean, James was pretty sure you'd be pretty good at this deceit stuff. Clearly you're just as weak as the next person._

_You should be thankful we're doing this anyway – we're just doing what Chad doesn't have the guts to do and getting rid of that Sonny skank. _

_And, assuming our plan is working well, they'll be broken up before the end of the week and Chad'll be too heartbroken to return to Hollywood. After all, his reputation's in tatters after that little video I gave to Tween Weekly…_

_He'll stay here in Wisconsin, I know he will. Where he'll be happiest. That's what you want, right? For him to be happy?_

_And don't even think you have a chance of stopping us. You're just a ditzy Hollywood girl and a little kid. _

_I so wish you'd joined us, Tawni. You know, you're always welcome to help us keep Chad where he rightfully belongs._

_Later._

3rd Person

"Good thing I didn't bring the boys," Danny tells his friend and his girlfriend, "I don't think they would've shut up long enough for you guys to speak."

"Did you tell them you were coming?" Chad asks. Danny shrugs.

"They wouldn't understand." He sighs solemnly, before grinning a little at his own joke, "They watch too much CSI to take all this seriously. They'd probably end up trying a little good-cop, bad-cop or somethin'."

Chad snickers along with his friend, "You wanna stay for a bit?"

"Nah, it's getting late. I need to get home."

"Okay, then." Chad shrugs, following his friend to the door. "See you later."

"Bye, guys!"

Danny leaves the house with a smile on his face, glad to have his friend back. However, he is unaware of the pair of eyes on him…

The garden is quiet. The leaves are simply rustling in the wind, and a small bird flies above the bushes, avoiding them because of its wariness of the creature in the bush.

Watching the boy, the body takes the earpiece out of her ear, which had helped her to hear the conversation going on inside. A grin is on her face, ear to ear, as she lifts her phone from her pocket, causing the bushes to rustle noisily.

The boy who has just closed the gate to the house turns back, shocked by the noise. Holding her position, the girl in the bush sits still, holding her breath to prevent herself from being caught. The boy shrugs after a few seconds, turning on his feet and humming a tune to himself as he strolls down the road, unsure of the storm to come next.

Sure that she is not to be caught, the girl dials the number and lifts the phone to her ear, listening to the dial impatiently.

"Hello," Her accomplice answers the phone, knowing who his caller is.

He has been awaiting this call.

"James, I have an idea to help with our deceit." The girl murmurs, to avoid the people inside the house detecting her.

On the other end, James smirks, "Go on."

"You know how we have those two klutzes in Hollywood trying to expose us, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, what if we had someone to take the fall for us? We don't want to be caught, do we?"

"Mmm…"

Seeing her accomplice isn't convinced, the girl continues, "Think about it; if this person is close enough to Chad, and he finds out what they've done, won't that break his heart even more?"

"I thought you didn't want to hurt Chad." James reminds her. She shrugs.

"Broken-hearted boy is more likely to fall into the arms of his ex. And he's already a little broken from the video you planned; why not keep going?" She explains, which makes him nod.

"Okay, I guess you're right." James agrees. "You got an idea of who to use as our fallback?"

Standing from the bush, watching the boy she had originally been hiding from, she grins. "I know _exactly _who our fallback is…"

"And the realisation of this betrayal will break Chad?"

The girl scoffs, "He'll hardly have any allies _left_ but Sonny after he discovers what this friend is doing… and that can easily be ended."

James smirks, confident. "Let's do it."

* * *

><p>The next day approaches all too quickly. Unaware of the heinous plot against him, Danny is out at <em>The Medley Hut<em>, speaking with Sonny and Chad about what is going on. His house is simple and suburban, like Chad's, except there are more flowers than bushes and the door and fences are black and clearly recently painted. The grass is neatly trimmed and the flowers laid out beautifully in rows, showing his mother's dedication and love for gardening. A bottom floor window is open around the side of the house on the right, left open by a son in a rush, and this just makes the enemies' job far easier.

Grinning to herself, James' accomplice climbs out of the house through the open window with the house's occupant's cell phone in her hand. As she skilfully jumps off the window ledge and into a flowerbed below, she taps the screen of the phone, searching the contacts list. Finding the people she was looking for, she selects '_Send Text_' and types out a message to the two receivers…

_Hey, Jake, Terence, come over if you're free, yeah? We need to talk about Chad… _

Sending the message, the girl smirks to herself, chucking the phone back over her shoulder, where it luckily lands on the window.

Taking her own phone out of her pocket, the girl dials her partner's number.

"The trap is set." She tells her accomplice, "I've texted his friends and they'll find the evidence when they arrive."

"Sure those idiots'll figure it out?" James asks. The girl sighs.

"They're idiots, sure." She agrees, "But this will be simple. There's enough there to make it obvious." She pulls a small slip of paper out of her jeans pocket, "I have his number, though. Send a text to it, just in case they need it spelling out for 'em."

"Gotcha." James agrees. The girl gives him the number and he records it with exact precision, before sending a text to the number to help convince Danny's friends that _he_ is the one setting up Chad for a failure.

The accomplice, hanging up, smiles to herself. Her plan is working perfectly. _Finally, _she will get her revenge on Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper. _Finally, _they won't be a problem together anymore. _Finally, _she won't have to think about that stupid Sonny Munroe _ever _again. _Finally, _Chad will be where he truly, truly belongs.

_Finally… _Chad Dylan Cooper will be hers once more.

Ronnie runs a hand through her hair, strolling confidently down the pathway towards her car. She gets in, driving off, excitement bubbling inside her.

_Finally._

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><p><strong>AN: DUN DUN DUHHHH! There we go! The evil one is Ronnie! Who gets right? Who gets a slice of cake? *hands around cake***

**So you guys now know what Tawni and Zora know! But what will happen now Ronnie and James have set up this new fallback plan? Will everyone fall for it? **

**And don't worry, guys - I plan to throw in some lovely, fluffy (as fluffy as a mystery arc can get) Channy next chapter. I've missed it. **

**See you next time! If I don't update before Christmas, have yourselves, well, a merry little Christmas! *hums* And a happy new year! Stay safe and remember to enjoy the holidays, whoever you're with! And be sure to remember those who didn't make it to the end of this year. They will be solemnly missed x**

**Bye guys! xx**

**Amy x**


	56. The Garden and the Heron

**A/N: Hello, dear readers!**

**So... It's been exactly two months since I updated. I know, I know, I should be thrown in the stocks for this. But, as my Lost Soul readers will know, these last couple of months have been hell for my writing patterns. I'm trying to get back into it (trust me, I'm spending any moment I can spare on my writing), but motivation is always so hard to find unless an idea pretty much writes itself, which, unfortunately, this chapter did not. *sigh* it was hard work. But fun :)**

**Lovaticgleek - it hasn't finished yet, don't worry! I wouldn't stop a story unless I seriously could not think and I would've warned you guys, promise. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far and hope you continue to :)**

**swac twilight14 - Sorry... fast enough update for you? :P**

**xoMarie - Thank you, I will :)**

**I don't own Sonny with a Chance. Enjoy this little fluff, Channy chapter as a break from all the mystery and drama. I needed a breather *whew***

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><p><strong>Chapter 55 - The Garden and the Heron<strong>

Sonny's POV

Waking up is, for some insane reason, difficult. Chad's curtains are such a dark blue the only light seeping in through them is the light that his carefully manoeuvred itself around the edges of the curtains on either side of the window. Plus, being in Wisconsin, the light is not as bright as it would be in California right now. Sitting up, painfully slowly, while rubbing my eyes to get rid of the crust around my eyelashes, I peek around the curtains to see that the light is solemnly scarce. While Los Angeles' constant reign of sunshine can get a bit old and sometimes I crave the beautiful snowflakes or rhythmic rainfall that some people take for granted, the warm glow that these sun rays usually project tends to warm the heart along with it. There's no rainfall right now, nor pretty snow; rather, the outside world just looks dull and dreary and defeated.

I sigh, swinging my legs out of the bed and sitting just on the edge, rubbing my temple. I give myself a couple of minutes to get used to being fully awake before standing, so to not cause myself to become dizzy or faint, and make my way downstairs where, I hope, Chad and his Dad are already awake.

But, to my surprise, no-one is up. Chad, in fact, is still sleeping on the sofa; not even stirring. His expression is soft, painless; he seems in peace as he sleeps. I give his slumbering figure a smile, before a pang of hunger from my stomach vies for my attention. I rub it, trying to sooth the pain and take attention away from it but it beckons; it begins small, but the more I ignore it, the louder it gets. A loud rumble causes Chad to stir in his sleep and I leave his company, standing in the kitchen, searching for anything that can sooth the ache of my empty stomach and quieten the persistent rumbling.

Then, as an idea pops into my head, I turn to find Chad's phone and call Danny's mobile number. He doesn't pick up, and so I call his home phone, smiling at the plan slowly coming to form in my head.

Chad's POV

I'm kinda shocked to see how late I am waking up the morning after Danny's visit; I don't usually sleep in until ten-thirty in the morning. It doesn't really bother me, though. I'm not at work – I don't really need to get up.

As I find myself adjusting from my sleepy state, my senses slowly begin to recall how to work; first my eyes, which, starting blurry, begin to refocus and pick out shapes and blobs to be actual objects. I make out the television and the window and the armchair beside me, and I can feel the blanket laying on top of me.

My hearing joins in now, too, and, though it's faint, one small noise calls above the silence I expected. It's small and careful at first, and I sigh, shutting my eyes and trying to shut it out, but that just makes the sound more persistent. There's a pause – about five seconds, and I exhale in relief and shut my eyes for those few precious moments – before the sound just becomes more arrogant, louder, less easy to ignore.

Groaning, unable to yet utter a real word – my speech hasn't yet returned to me – I reach into the open space, find a pillow, and throw it aimlessly across the room. It's a inept effort, though, and the pillow spins clumsily in a motion like a cartwheel a couple of times, before dropping straight to the floor, soundlessly.

Of course, the sound just continues, and is, this time, joined by a muffled shout. A high-pitched sound – higher than that first, persistent one – and, throwing in the towel, I decide to let my hearing focus on the sounds.

I make out the tireless first sound to be the knocking at a door, followed by the shouting sound again; longer this time. I squint my eyes, and, having placed it, moving my head further towards the direction of the sound.

"Chad!" I make out; muffled but there, nonetheless, "Chad, open the door!"

Almost instantly, I throw myself off of the sofa – the action making my neck ache intensely – and bounce to my feet, following the direction of the sound; to the front door. I open the door, rubbing the last of the crust off of my eyes, and give a tired smile to the girl at the door. She's holding a little brown box, and is wearing sunglasses – despite the awful weather outside – and a headscarf over her brown hair, which you wouldn't usually see a girl of her age wearing.

"Master of disguise, eh, Sonny?" I smirk. She gives a fake gasp, dropping her arms in mock disappointment.

"I can't believe you recognised me!" She complained, with a wink as she removed her sunglasses.

"Why; some people didn't?" I say with a laugh.

"Yeah – everyone who's outside in the whole of Wisconsin." She says, passing the box she's holding to me while removing her coat. "Not that I'm annoyed my disguise worked or anything, but they could've at least been more forward about seeing their _favourite actress_." She then stops and looks at me with a sneer, "Enjoyed your sleep, Mr. Sandman?" She reaches up and ruffles my air. I throw her hand off as quick as my morning reactions can. She pouts her lips. "You look like a puppy." She claims.

"You're dressed like an old woman in July." I retaliate as she removes the headscarf.

"Oh, ha, ha." She pulls a face, snatching back the little box. "Touché. So I suppose, with that, you're not up for any breakfast?"

"Well, what did you get?"

Sonny shrugs and smiles mischievously, "Well, just a little treat from Memory Lane that Danny suggested I get you." She holds the box close to my nose and I get a sniff. It smells warm, fruity, freshly-baked. Familiar.

And then Sonny drags it away from me, holding as far from my face as possible, like she's trying to allure me, tempt me. My sense of smell seems to clutch on, for dear life, to the familiarity and friendliness that this smell brought. I closed my eyes and took in a large whiff of whatever my senses could cling onto, and an image quickly formed in my mind – an image of sitting by the fire on a cold winter's morning, drinking hot chocolate and smelling the freshly-baked treats that I loved so much.

"You didn't." I challenge Sonny, even though there's a grin lighting up my face.

Sonny exudes happiness and pride as she replies smugly, "I think you'll find-" she opens the box ceremoniously, "-I did!"

I don't even look down, "Bagels from _Benny's_?"

"Your favourite – _Strawberry Swirl_!"

"And Danny told you about this?"

Sonny leads me into the kitchen like I'm an obedient puppy chasing his owner who's holding a ball, while she explains, "I called him and asked him what you liked as a treat when you were a kid." Her expression and tone softens as she goes on, "I just thought that after all this hype and craziness, and the stealing accusation, the press, and seeing your ex-girlfriends again, well…" She plants the box down onto the kitchen table, giving me a kind smile, "I thought you deserved a bit of a day off."

"A day off?" I ask, gesturing her to elaborate. She turns on her heels and starts searching for a couple of plates. I head for the cupboard that I remember Mom and Dad storing the plates in, only to realise that it may have been rearranged. Luckily my suspicions are false, and I pass Sonny two plates.

"Well, just a day of doing whatever you want." She explains, "We can stay in if you want, or we can go out… but if you want to go out, maybe we should wear disguises or something, just to remain inconspicuous."

"And where are we supposed to get disguises?"

"Have you forgot what I was just wearing twenty seconds ago?" Sonny scoffs, sounding like the old Sonny, "Chad, if you're the star of the number one teen drama, of course you come prepared for things like this."

I theatrically roll my eyes, "Of _course_."

"So, are you up for it?" Sonny asks with an enticing smile, "We can do whatever you want; go wherever you want; it's your day."

I pause for a minute while Sonny searches for the ingredients for hot chocolate (how Danny told her of this family tradition, I'll never know), trying to think of the best place to take Sonny. Somewhere calm, somewhere friendly, somewhere that reminds me of childhood and somewhere where we won't be recognised.

I give Sonny a knowing smile, "I have just the idea."

Sonny's POV

"Whoa, Chad…"

My voice, loud and clumsy, feels so out of place when I look around and find that I may be in one of the most tragically beautiful places I've ever been. The garden surrounding me is about the size of a grand hall, but my heart sinks, just a little bit as I realise how damp and desperate the place looks. It had started raining a few minutes after I'd returned to Chad's, and the unfortunate Wisconsin rain came to an end only an hour ago. Then the sun tried to muscle its way through the clouds, and after this it was clear that Chad was eager to get outside too. He told me that he knew a place where we wouldn't need disguises – not many people would dare to go where we were going on such a drab day. He all but shoved me into his father's car, which was out of use for the day since Mr. Goldfarb was working from home, and didn't even give me the slightest hint of where we were going.

But now, the weather has improved significantly, and, according to Chad, almost miraculously for this time of year. The sun has wrestled past the mist and is now casting a glow, no matter how faint, on the scene around me.

I let myself take a moment to breathe and take in every little detail of the garden surrounding me, which, in it's prime, I can see to be as beautiful and tranquil as the Garden of Eden. I gaze up at each tree, one by one, noticing the different heights and shapes of the trunks, of the branches. A few of them are slanted, their branches hanging above our heads like a natural ceiling. Not many of them have leaves, which is what makes the garden feel like something is missing, but it takes nothing from the beauty apart from perhaps the splashes of green on this canvas. The grass at my feet is still lush and green, even looking grateful for the combination of sun and rain that this day has offered, glowing almost.

And then I glance over at the pond at the centre of the garden. The pond takes up about half of the area of the whole garden, so it's near impossible to miss. Various water plants sprout around the edges, growing eagerly, almost like they're vying from the attention of the blue-green water. I bend over some tall, green pond weed to try and see inside the pond to get a glimpse of the shimmering fins of golden, orange, and black fish – maybe koi – that swim leisurely to the surface, they're mouths dropping open and their fins swishing from side to side, before they dive back under the water, their tail fins swaying and leaving little ripples in the water. Little lilypads, in large groups and with beautiful white flowers decorating them, cover most of the water, but I can still see the tell-tale signs of the little fish as bubbles raise to the surface and the waving of their fins causes the lilypads and water to sway a little.

"Hey, Sonny, come look!"

It's now when I notice Chad has left my side and is now on the other side of the pond, waving at me and beckoning me over. He is bent down, resting on one knee. I approach his side, bending down with him and grinning at what I see.

There is a small slope up from the pond right at the edge, and I giggle as I see the koi almost beaching themselves on it to come closer to us. It's almost like they want human attention.

"It's like a fish petting zoo." I say, watching as Chad reaches forward to touch one of the kois along its back, but it slips from his touch fairly quickly. I do the same, and laugh at the wet, slippery scales, pulling away before the koi can slip from my fingers. The little golden fish wiggles around for a moment, before turning and disappearing further into the pond, no longer interested.

"You'd never expect _fish _to be tame." Chad says incredulously, smirking at the thought. I let myself giggle at the image of a little fish with a collar and a tennis ball or Frisbee in its mouth that pops in my head, wide-eyed, with it's tail fins swishing side to side, but less in the manner of a fish and more in the manner of an obedient little puppy.

Rolling my eyes at my odd brain, I let myself tune into Chad's speaking. "Me and my Dad used to come here sometimes."

"Oh really?"

He nods, but doesn't expand, and I don't ask him to.

A small gasp escapes from the mouth beside me. I turn to face Chad, and his face is set, his mouth a little 'o' of pure surprise. He is staring straight ahead.

"Sonny." He whispers, quiet, like he's afraid of making too much noise. "Look."

I hadn't seen it at first. If I had, I probably would've dismissed it as a plastic statue.

But when I glance up at the bird, just across the pond from Chad and I, stood so still that I knew I wouldn't be able to match. It hides among the pond weed – the same pond weed I had peered over a few seconds ago, completely oblivious to the beauty just a few feet from me.

The magnificent bird is tall and thin, its feathers shimmer with a very light, almost shimmering, blue. It's beak is somewhat silver along the bottom, almost metallic, and its eyes are small and black and focussed, very hard, not on us but on the water in front of it.

"Heron." He breathes, staying almost as still as the bird itself. "Don't scare it."

I go to argue with Chad that I wasn't planning to, and then it's not even engrossed in us anyway. The bird – Chad called it a _heron_ – has its eyes somewhat permanently fixated on the fish that whirl around in little circles below the bluish green water surface. The heron is proud, magnificent, and, now that I've got it in my sights, I can't stop looking.

"Very impressive." I murmur to Chad, who turns his head slowly to face me.

"Hmm?"

Tearing my eyes from the heron, I face my boyfriend. Our faces have only inches of air between them. "You sure know where to take someone for a relaxing date. This place is perfect."

Chad smiles, "I know." He whispers. He tugs on my hand to get my to stand, and that's when I realise that he'd been holding my hand this whole time. I follow him to my feet, and he tugs me behind him, to the very back of the garden. I look around as we walk and see a few other people spread around – only five or six – and they don't seem bothered by us. No-one is watching us, or more appropriately gaping, or even screaming our names or shouting abuse our way. This is the most inconspicuous I have felt in years.

I feel myself wishing, more desperately than I've ever wished before, that I could disappear like this whenever I wanted – escape from the pressures of Hollywood and press and fans and just… relax. Have fun. Sure, whenever I'm with Chad I feel more ordinary and less like the soulless superstar I've been for years prior to his arrival in my life, but being surrounded by the pressures of the superstar life, well, it's difficult to fully feel like my privacy is being respected because of the constant inability to do whatever I want without some camera in my face. For a second, and only a second, I imagine living in a little home, like Chad's father's, out here in Wisconsin with my boyfriend and his family. No-one would need to know I was here, and no-one would bother to find out, after a while. We'd just be a couple of the lucky ones who got away, the _where-are-they-now's. _

For that mere second, that's all I really want.

Chad's little chuckle beside me is what makes that second of imagining only a second. I look up at him at my side, and he's smirking, no longer walking; now stood still.

"What are you thinking about, Miss Daydream?"

I let out a long sigh, and just respond with, "The future."

Chad shakes his head, a silly, impatient smile on his lips, but leaves the conversation there.

"So, where were you leading me to, huh?" I ask. "There must be some reason you tore me from the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my life."

"I've seen better." He says, giving me the largest eyes he can possibly muster. I shove his shoulder.

"Shut it."

"Well, Miss Oblivious," He says, turning his head forward, "I thought you'd want a seat."

I follow his lead and grin as he leads me up a couple of wooden stairs and into a beautiful gazebo. It looks kind of Japanese – the wood has been painted a bright, showy red. The fences surrounding us as we stand in the centre of the gazebo and each of the little benches along each fence are a slightly duller red, but still look lovely, and when I lean over the fence to my right, there is a full view of the pond; lo and behold, the heron is still in sight – to the right actually.

I take a moment to consider this garden. The gazebo is my first thought – brightly-coloured, Japanese – it even has a yellow dragon on one of the poles holding the roof up. I look across the view of the garden and take in the leafless trees and the blue-green water and consider that the gazebo shouldn't even be here. It's mismatched, odd in its surroundings. But, for some reason, it also… fits in here, somehow. It has slotted itself into this world and, although it doesn't really fit with the sorrowful, winter surroundings, it works just where it is. It brings a warmth, a colour, into the heart of the garden.

And that can't be a bad thing, can it really? Mismatches work out all the time – I scoff at the primary example of myself and Chad. How many times have we proved that the statement 'opposites attract' is pretty much fact?

No, mismatches aren't all bad. Not all the time. I knew that the moment I realised that Chad was my friend.

"And what about you?" I ask Chad, "You _pondering _anything?"

Chad smirks, "Is that some cheesy reference to the fact we're near a _pond?" _

"Maybe."

Chad chuckles lightly, leaning against the fence beside me, looking out onto the waters of the pond. "I might be pondering a little." He admits in a soft tone.

"Well, what?" I ask, placing my hand on his shoulder carefully, just to match his quiet tone. The distant chatter of the other members of the public really is just _distant, _and the only noticeable sound is the swishing of the waters below and then whispers of the wind floating past.

Chad shrugs somewhat, "Just… all this." He begins, and when he begins, he doesn't seem to want to stop. "These past couple of weeks. It's just been so insane, and not in a good way; I mean, I've been tearing my hair out about the thing with _La Luna Bella _and all the stress that seemed to follow us to Wisconsin and jump out at us in the form of my exes, and now…" He sighs; inhales and then exhales, a short rest before he gets going again, "I just don't know what to make of it. Any of it." He rests his elbows on the fence, and his head balances in his palms. He huffs again. I stay back, not wanting to upset him in any manner, and instead just leave my hand comfortingly resting on his shoulder. He chuckles again, after his long break, but this one is slightly more hollow than the previous. "So much for a day without stress."

"Chad, it's okay." I whisper reassuringly.

"Is it?"

"…I don't know." I admit, removing my hand from his shoulder and taking his hand away from his face. He looks at me questioningly. "But if it isn't, we'll make it okay. I promise."

"Sorry." He mumbles gingerly, turning back to face the waters.

"Hey, hey! This isn't your fault." I take his other hand, giving him no option but to face me.

"Well, no, but I did ruin our worry-free day."

I let out a soft laugh of incredulity, "That's what you're sorry for?" He shrugs. "Chad, the day isn't ruined. Quite the contrary, actually. Have you seen this place? It's beautiful."

Chad smiles a little, "It is pretty neat."

"_Exactly_. And you chose it, didn't you? And I'm glad you did."

"'Cos it's pretty and quiet and no-one's screaming our names or throwing underwear at you?"

Giggling, I shake my head, "No, no. Well, maybe. That, and, well, it's made me think of something. An anecdote."

"Ooh, really?" Chad jokes, "That's very science-y of you."

"Just listen, Mister." Chad nods over-dramatically and makes a big show out of miming the zipping of his lips. I stick my tongue out at him, before returning to my point. "Well, look at this place. It's pretty, sure, but because of the weather and the time of year and all that stuff, it's kinda… damaged. I mean, the trees have no leaves and everything's still a little damp from the rain."

Chad raises an eyebrow, "So?"

"So, I was thinking… well, the garden is lovely, regardless. It may have a few problems right now taking from it's beauty, and people may not think it's as great as before, but that doesn't make it any less lovely to look at, right?"

Chad nods slowly, his eyes calculating.

"And someday, the leaves will return and the dark clouds will go away and the sun will shine through as bright as it can and make everything perfect again, right?"

"So what's your point?"

"My point is… _you're _like the garden. I guess. The stealing accusation and all the drama from your exes and your friends, well, that's the rain and the bad weather. But that stuff doesn't matter, because you're still really special. Some people may not see it right now, but I do. And someday, you'll be proved innocent and the sun will come back, and everything will be fine."

The sunshine that is his smile plays at the corner of his lips; though it's just a shimmer, it's there.

"You think?"

"I _know." _I assure him. The smile grows to a grin. "See?" I cheer, "_There's _the sunshine!"

Chad laughs a little, patting my shoulder, "That was very poetic of you, Sonny."

"I know!" I wink, flipping my hair back jokingly.

His laughing grin shrinks back a bit to a little, yet warm, smile. He hugs me softly, sweetly. "Thank you, Sonny." He murmurs in my ear.

"It's what I'm here for." I reply. "You helped me in my time of need, and now it's my turn to help you."

"Sonny?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you'll not believe anything you hear about me, yeah? Even if all the evidence points my way… promise you won't believe it?"

"And then what?" I say, smirking. "Leave you? How could I do that?"

Chad laughs, and I do too, but we both know that it's not a joke. It is common knowledge to the both of us that my separation from Chad would only ever bring about my self-destruction, and I made a promise to myself and to Chad that that would never happen again.

"Just checking." Chad says, linking his arm around mine. "Shall we sit down?"

"We shall."

So we sit and we don't move for hours. As our little fallen piece of Heaven greets twilight, we stand, together, wordlessly, and make our way back to Chad's dad's car in silence.

In peace.

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><p><strong>AN: So I put some little anecdotes in there myself. If you're interested, I saw the gazebo as the 'heart' of the garden - 'cos it was red and the core of the garden. The dragon in it was a sense of strength, and the heron was just for sheer magnificence. They truly are lovely birds :)**

**I've actually seen a little 'fish petting zoo', as they named it :P It's pretty cool. **

**Please review :D**

**~Amy x**


	57. The Day After

**A/N: Who has two thumbs and is a terrible person in terms of updating? *points at self* This girrrrrl!**

**I'm so sorry guys! No excuse will be enough to redeem myself for a four-month wait, but I can promise you that it won't happen again. I have ideas for the next chapter and I know it's coming soon! **

KellyTheLovatic **- Thank you for all your reviews you rock girl I love you quackidy quack**

The Bad Wolf Who Waited** - Thank you so much! And may I say, *points at self* Whovian, right here ;D**

TrueBlue5020** - Thank you for all your reviews! Now in response... Yes, in the show, Chad's name was originally 'Goldfarb'. Check the episode 'Guess Who's Coming To Guest Star for reference. As for the Sonny-insomnia thing - it was never mentioned on the show, so we'll never know. DIKY is a perfect story (HI HANNAH) and I might write a Chastity/Skyler thing if I have inspiration but right now I can't think of anything. But maybe I will! **

**I'm glad you all liked the last chapter and I hope you continue to love this one :) I spent like, four hours today writing it :P**

**I did not buy SWAC while I was gone, no. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 56 - The Day After (The Calm Before The Storm)<strong>

Chad's POV

The one thing I dreaded about yesterday was its ending. _A day off, _Sonny promised me. A day off from all this stuff that's been happening recently; a day off for us to finally just relax as a couple.

When that day's over, well, then what? Twenty-four hours of complete purity to be followed with who-knows how-many days of bitterness? Is that what I'm subjected to now?

I don't allow myself to think too sharply on it, or I might never get out of bed. Well, off the couch, anyway. Rubbing my temple carefully, I rock myself upwards, sitting with the blanket I've been sleeping under for the last couple of days sprawled scrappily over my knees. Though I sleep pretty soundly and don't have any major form of insomnia, I've been told that I'm a messy sleeper, always rolling around. Evidence of this is always clear when a blanket I've been sleeping under is only half-covering me, or when a pillow is no longer on the bed with me. But last night didn't seem too destructive for my surroundings, so clearly I slept with ease.

I regret my rocketing upwards soon after doing it when I feel dizzy, queasy. I don't think I'm going to puke or anything, but the room whirls around me, and I sit perfectly still for a few minutes to make sure I'm not going to faint or lose my balance when I stand up. When my head no longer feels like it's contents has been vigorously whisked, I stand and make my way into the kitchen.

My hunt for breakfast suddenly reminds me of the bagel Sonny got me yesterday morning, and my stomach growls, dissatisfied in the knowledge that no delicious treat awaits me today. _A disappointing breakfast for a disappointing day, _I complain to myself while picking out a bland cereal pack from a dull selection. My Dad's clearly not one for fancy packages or chocolate, which I suppose is fine. At least it keeps him in shape. Meanwhile, I'm left no option but to eat a tasteless brand I've never heard of.

I find myself wondering, while I pour milk on the cereal and add a handful of berries in hope to liven the taste of my breakfast, how Sonny is this morning. It was sweet to see her in such a good mood yesterday. We had a day off yesterday that neither of us has had in – in my case, months, but in Sonny's case, possibly _years. _I dread what's coming – not only for my sake, but Sonny's, too. From experience she knows that the press don't give up easily, and I'm just starting to notice it myself. I fear what their next move will be, when they'll make it, and worst of all, how much damage there will be after the hit. Since I'm really their target right now, I doubt Sonny will need much protection, but if she is broken in any way by them, I remind myself that I will make sure that I will be there for her. I then follow with the thought that she will be there to protect me too, should the roles be reversed, and that makes my bland breakfast brighter.

"Morning,"

I look up from my bowl to see Sonny stood in the doorway, and my face lights up with that 'sunshine' she was talking about yesterday. "Hey, beautiful," I say, "Sleep well?"

Sonny nods, a smile dawning on her face, too. "Did you?" She replies, and I simply nod. "Good," She says, settling next to me on a chair around the dining table. She takes a look at my experimental breakfast and smirks, "I think I'll pass on cereal." She decides. To mock her, I stuff my face with a large spoonful, before threatening to kiss her. She skids away from my threat, skipping over to the fruit bowl sat on one of the counters and grabbing an apple.

"So, what's the plan for today?" She asks, munching sloppily on a bite she's taken out of the apple, "'Nother day off?"

Oh, how I wish it could be. But I feel something dreadful clouding my insides and know I won't be so lucky. A few days without input from press? Something's coming today.

As if to answer my suspicions, my phone suddenly shudders on the table, the vibrating noise shocking Sonny a little. I pick up the phone, confused to see the 'unknown number' flash across my screen. I don't want to read it; don't want to know which anonymous, unknown person wants to contact me. But I look up at Sonny and decide that there's no point delaying it, so I open the text.

_"Chad,_

_We have recently become aware of your return to Wisconsin._

_We would like to invite you to your old high school to speak with the students about your experiences in Hollywood. We hope you'll have a lot to share with us._

_Call this number back if you wish to be involved._

_West Appleton High Student Committee."_

I look back up at Sonny after reading the text, my eyebrows stuck in a raised position above their usual spot on my face.

Of all the things I was expecting, this was not one of them.

* * *

><p>It feels like a weight on top of my shoulders. A weight that won't go away, no matter how hard I push back. Like I'm being surrounded from all angles and I don't know which way to turn, because whichever way I do turn, I'm just faced with another difficulty to face.<p>

I understand how melodramatic I'm being as soon as I vent out all my problems to Danny – the only one who would pick up his phone when I called. I know Terence and Jake are on my side, so surely they can't be mad with me, right? Why would they be?

Danny is quick to shake some sense in me. After arriving he listens to me venting my problems and then tells me to shut up and calm down (albeit, in a nicer way than that). What he doesn't understand though, is why today's text has got me in such a hype.

"It's just an invitation from school, Chad," Danny reasons, reading over the text again, probably looking for some hidden meaning, some missing piece that he's not seeing but I am. "I don't see your problem."

Sonny is equally as perplexed, perched on the dining table, her legs swinging, making her look incredibly innocent. The puzzled look on her face adds to her childlike appearance. "I don't get it either, Chad," She adds to Danny's point, "I mean, it's not like it's the press. Nothing bad will happen."

"We can't be sure of that," I find myself saying.

Sonny pouts, "Chad, it'll be fine,"

"And you can promise me that?" I say, probably a little too harshly. Sonny just sits there in response, pitiful.

"Dude, we just don't get your problem with this," Danny decides to say, "Maybe when you go to this school announcement you can set things straight and prove that you're not this person the media's portraying you to be."

Something curls in my chest, "But what if I _can't _do that?"

"Huh?" Danny's forehead creases.

"What if I can't convince everyone of the truth? What if I go out there and get booed by my own classmates or something because they don't think I'm the same guy anymore?"

The words sound stupid outside of my mind, but inside they're a real fear. I've never really had too much stage fright, especially when it comes to _So Random _and my fame in Hollywood so far, but then again I've never had reason to. Seeing people – strangers – react negatively to something I've supposedly done hits hard, and so to think that people I know could end up reacting in just that same way makes me feel queasy like I felt this morning. I couldn't face a single one of them again if they thought badly of me.

That's just why I pleaded Sonny to not leave me if things got too crazy. Because if she didn't trust me, well, who would?

Sonny hops off of the table, walking over to me and cuddling me sympathetically. It pacifies me for long enough; long enough for Danny to talk me down.

"Dude, you're going to be fine," He promises, "Sonny and I are gonna be here for you, and I'll make sure Jake and Terry are, too."

The reminder of my friends who didn't answer makes my insides curl again. "I called them earlier, and they didn't answer."

Danny obviously notices my despair in the light of my friends' possible distrust in me, so he decides to try and lighten the mood. "Well, maybe they were busy making out." He jokes, and I return him a small smile. It makes him and Sonny grin, though, which is enough for me. "Chill out, Chaddy boy," He adds, smirking, "It'll work out. Promise."

I believe him.

Third Person

Since the day the intruder entered their house, the family of Danny Tyler have sorted their house out and everything has gone back to normal. Not that there was anything out-of-place in the first place, really – apart from a couple of trodden-on flowers that Danny's mother claimed must have been damaged by a cat or dog, despite the clarity of the size of the footprints, suggesting it was a much larger creature. Also, Danny's phone had been sat on the windowsill with a small crack on the screen, and Danny claimed that he had no idea how it got there. But he would have it fixed soon – a forgotten little mystery was all that crack was. Nobody knew.

Well, one girl knew.

And her plan had been set into action two days ago.

Only two days prior to this day, she had set her trap. She had sent a text from Danny's phone to Danny's two friends, inviting them over to, as she (or _he) _claimed, 'talk about Chad'. The text had been urgent and in-character enough that the two of them had believed it was him, and each left their houses to go see their friend and find out this information. The fact was that they were already suspicious, the two boys – what with all the odd news they had heard about their friend lately, they were suspicious of Chad and what was happening to him. But they fought through those doubtful thoughts and remembered that Chad was their friend and they could trust him.

Ronnie couldn't believe her luck when she located both of their mobile phones at their houses. _Stupid boys, _she had scoffed to herself. She had snatched them from their rooms, sneaking in quickly and easily like a cat. She had also pulled the plugs out of their landlines, hoping that in doing this she would be able to control when they talked, who they talked to. Nothing would be out of place, everything would be easy for her to control. And if they tried to go and see their friends without her agreement, well, she could easily drag them away. She had their phones.

She smirks just thinking about it. She likes control.

As she thinks about this, smirking with delight, the two phones she stole blink urgently – first Jacob's, and then Terence's. She grins, listening to the first voice mail, and then the second. Both are along the same line – a stuttering, careful plea from friend to friend, asking the two of them to come along when they had the time so he could talk to them. She is gleeful at the sound of his voice – so shaky, almost… unsure. Just the very thought of him in such an uncomfortable position sends joyful shivers up her spine.

She doesn't reply to either of the messages, instead she wants him to suffer. All the more broken the man will be when he runs into her arms when the time is right. Fiddling with one of the phones, she lets her mind wander back to the day when she set her evidence…

_After stealing Jacob and Terence's phones, Ronnie makes her way to Danny's house, hoping to find them both still there. Peering carefully into Danny's bedroom window (she is grateful his room is on the ground floor – less hassle), she can faintly hear voices downstairs. She can only just pick it out – she believes that Jake and Terence are talking to Danny's mother – possibly asking where he is. _

_She waits a few moments, excitement building inside her, and when she sees the door handle of Danny's room jiggle she ducks down, deciding she will be content with just listening. _

_"Danny?" Jacob shouts – Ronnie smirks. Why shout in such a tiny room?_

_"Dude, he's not in here; lower your voice." Terence snorts. There is a silence where, Ronnie expects, one boy is flipping the bird at the other, and then there is some padding of footsteps. They stop for a second, and are close to the window Ronnie is hiding under. _

_"Hey, what's this?" Terence's voice raises in pitch as he finds – Ronnie guesses – her evidence. She hears the crumpling of paper, the weighty silence as Terence reads the note, and then his voice calling Jacob to, "Check this out." His voice is deeper than before; solemn. More silence fills the air while Jacob reads, and then he mutters out a quiet profanity._

_The two remain silent as they leave the room. Ronnie hears them thank Danny's mother, albeit wavering on rudeness, and then she hears their voices around the corner, outside the house. She watches them leave, trying to hear their conversation, and despite her difficulty in doing so, she can tell the evidence she has laid has worked its magic. The two of them seem more on the edge; angry, even. _

Her evidence was clearly successful, she thinks to herself. Soon the boys will fight between each other. After all, the worse it is for Chad, the better it will be for her. She giggles at her sadistic thoughts, finding it hilarious that she is getting her revenge in such a way. She sits for a moment, thinking. Thinking of how she can throw Sonny Munroe into it, too. Isn't it Sonny she wanted revenge on, anyway? Not just Chad?

James is twisting their plan in his favour, she thinks to herself. Fishing her own phone out of her pocket, she dials his number. He picks up after a few seconds, a lazy, "Hmm?" being his only 'hello'.

"I wanted revenge on Sonny." Ronnie announces sharply. James just replies with another confused grunt, and so Ronnie huffs, "The plan is mainly revolving around Chad. While I'm all for revenge on him, it's Sonny who needs to suffer too, remember? She humiliated me, after all." She remembers the day she was shoved into cake all too strongly.

"Relax, kitten," James groans, "I'm taking care of Sonny, remember? An eye for an eye and all the crap – you take care of Chad for me, and I take care of Sonny for you."

"I'm waiting." Ronnie snaps. James chuckles.

"I know you are," He replies, "But all in due time."

"Uh huh," Ronnie grunts.

"Speaking of," James changes the subject, "How's your side of the plan working?"

"Much faster than yours, that's for sure." Ronnie grumbles, "I'm teasing Chad for now, but his friends have the false evidence now and soon they'll be fighting between each other."

"Good." James seems to be smiling by the tone in his voice. "I expect to hear of your progress again soon."

"As do I," Ronnie retorts, and James laughs loudly.

"Ah, I do like a kitten with claws." He says, before Ronnie hears the dial tone. She pulls a face. _Sexist pig, _she thinks to herself.

But who cares, really? So long as she gets her revenge on Sonny Munroe, she doesn't care what kind of jerk James is. She supposes she can wait – Ronnie is a firm believer in the maxim _revenge is a dish best served cold._

Tawni's POV

_New Message: The Stalker Girl_

I shudder when I get the text, before shoving Zora, who's sat next to me on my sofa in my room, dozing off. She's been here for a few hours, helping with our _Operation_: _Save Chad and Sonny From The Creepy Stalker Girl _(hence the little nickname 'Stalker Girl' that we dubbed Chad's ex-girlfriend Ronnie as when we found out she was the one behind all the bad stuff that's been happening recently.)

Over the last few days, Ronnie has, similarly to right now, sent me non-stop texts about how I should be on 'the right side' rather than 'that other team' and that my skills in 'being a distraction' (what that means, I have no idea) would help them out a great deal. _Think of the revenge! _She says in one text, _You hate Sonny as much as I do, right? So now's your chance to get back at her!_

Uh huh, yeah. As convincing as that is, I think I'd much rather stay on 'that other team' and help Chad out rather than being a massive traitor to both him and all my cast-mates. And, yeah, fine, maybe I want to protect Sonny a little bit too. But don't tell her that.

I open this next text, nudging Zora in the side, and she wakes up with a little moan that reminds me just how young she is. "What time is it?" She mumbles, but I'm far too busy reading the text.

_"The next stage is complete, Tawni. I thought you'd wanna know. We're gonna break Chad from the inside out, so you don't have to._

_And then all that'll be left is to get revenge on Sonny. That's what you want, yeah?"_

No.

_"When you realise that you don't want to play these stupid games anymore, well, you know where to find me._

_R."_

I roll my eyes, "And now she's ending her messages with her initial too?" I groan, thinking of James's signature '_J'_, "Please, that is so…" I shudder, "…creepy."

Zora takes my phone from me, studying the text for any hidden meanings before coming up short and chucking my phone back to me. Something gnaws away within me, so I decide to voice it. _"'Break Chad from the inside out'_?" I quote. Zora lifts her head to look at me, waiting for me to continue, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't even know." Zora sighs, "From what I can gather, it's probably something to do with attacking him emotionally."

"You mean like they're already doing? C'mon, it's not like their torturing him with gunshots to his knee and cuts up his arm or something." I shiver at the mere thought of it. "They're already 'attacking him emotionally'."

"Maybe they're trying to get him right in the heart," Zora muses, "Zone in on something that'll really hurt him; something he cares about a lot."

"Sonny?"

Zora shrugs, "I don't know. Friends? Family, maybe? Maybe Sonny."

"We should warn him." I decide, "Tell him that something's coming and he needs to be ready. Tell him who's involved and get them taken down for it."

"And how do we do that?" Zora asks, "We hardly have proof."

"Text messages," I say in a sarcastic tone, holding up my phone.

"No, she could say that we're just be making the texts ourselves." Zora decides, "And if we get them to trace the number to prove it's her phone, well, Ronnie might've caught word of what we're doing and she'll have her number or phone changed. And who are we supposed to tell anyway? The police?"

"Well…"

"We don't have a crime to show them, anyway. Not really. Unless they count a few mind games and false video footage that still may be real as crimes."

I remember the video of the drunken, laughing Chad and pull a face, "It's fake." I say, "I'm sure of it."

Zora looks almost sympathetically at me, like I'm a child. Considering she's the younger one here, it's a little demeaning. "We can't be sure."

"Tawni!" A shrill voice screeches.

I sigh. "Yeah, Mom?" I yell back.

"Your friend is here to talk to you!"

_Friend?_ I blink. Who would want to come see me right now? Nico or Grady? Why would they come to see me? Sketch plans for when we go back after the vacation? Shrugging to Zora, I hop off of the couch and make my way down the stairs, ushering her to come to.

Mom has left the doorway, so the only person stood in our hallway is this 'friend'. He gazes around our house, looking pretty much in awe. His back is to me, but when he turns finally, his face lands on me and he smiles, his blue, familiar-yet-not-familiar eyes so shiny.

I allow my own eyes to widen comically. "_Chad?!" _I hiss, and so does Zora.

The figure's smile fades a little, and he tries to hush us, using his hands to gesture turning down the volume. "I needed to get here to talk to you." He says.

"So you came all the way from _Wisconsin?" _I ask. Chad stares at me for a second, tilting his head in confusion, before his eyes widen and he realises something.

"Oh!" He says, "Um… I dunno how I'm gonna say this… but I'm not the guy you think I am."

_Not Chad? _It's a tough thing to swallow, for sure. He looks so like him... but then that explains why his eyes look so different... "You're _not_ Chad?" Zora says, sounding just as confused as I am.

"Indeed," The Chad-alike says, smiling innocently.

This just got a little more confusing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: WHOO! It's Chazzzzz. I love Chazzzzz. I wish he'd showed up more in the show. I suppose he couldn't cos, well, he broke all his bones. But he was cool. Yay. **

**Please review! :) I'll see you all next time (aka hopefully reaaal soon)**

**~Amy x**


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